2013 Stockton Pro-Am Preview

The 2013-14 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season kicks off tomorrow in Stockton, California, and there will be 23 players in action. The top two players - Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich - will be there, but after them there are several top players who are absent, including Samantha Salas, Cheryl Gudinas, Kerri Wachtel, Grace Hughes and Jennifer Saunders.

But taking their places are a host of young players, including four of the six LPRT Scholarship players - Sharon Jackson, Michelle Key, Aubrey Kirch O'Brien and Cecilia Orozco - as well as Frédérique Lambert and Veronica Sotomayor.

How much has the field changed? Consider there were 26 players in the 2012 Texas Open, which was the first LPRT event of last season. Only 11 of them are playing in Stockton this weekend.

Those who aren't in Stockton will be in future events. Gudinas is missing with a stress fracture to her foot, which will also cause her to miss the next event in Mexico, but plans to be in Minneapolis for the US Open.

Saunders also plans to play most of the season, including the Albierto Mexicano next month. Hughes has moved to Japan, but hopes to play some events in the second part of the season.

A draw with all those veterans as well as the young shooters should be very exciting. That prospect makes for an exciting 2013-14 LPRT season.

You can watch some of the action from Stockton, as LPRT continues to be streamed over the web via the LPRT Network - part of the IRT Network.

LPRT 2013 Stockton Pro-Am, Stockton, Calif.

Round of 32

Paola Longoria BYE
Sharon Jackson v. Frédérique Lambert

T. J. Baumbaugh BYE
Da'monique Davis BYE

Cristina Amaya BYE
Sheryl Lotts v. Aubrey Kirch

Linda Scales v. Sofia Rascon
Adrienne Haynes BYE

Susana Acosta BYE
Maria Paz Muñoz v. Youngock Lee

Hailey Miller v. Nawoo Kim
Maria Jose Vargas BYE

Krystal Csuk BYE
Veronicq Sotomayor v. Michelle Key

Carla Muñoz v. Cecilia Orozco
Rhonda Rajsich BYE

Follow the bouncing ball....