Hungry for Softball? Whataburger Helps at Tarleton

It would be hard for any Texas resident to pass up the chance to watch softball and receive a free meal at Whataburger.

The Tarleton State University program is offering that tasty incentive this weekend as the Texans debut their newly-renovated softball complex by hosting the Whataburger Invitational. 

Whataburger, a Texas fast food institution, is headquartered in San Antonio. Hungry patrons flock to the orange-and-white buildings for made-to-order burgers, Dr. Pepper shakes, patty melts, french fries and chicken biscuits.

The local Whataburger franchise in Stephenville has sponsored the Tarleton tournament since the event started last year. Anyone who purchases a tournament pass receives a coupon for a free meal at the location.

Every sponsorship sale for Tarleton athletics is procured by The Aspire Group, a sports and entertainment marketing firm. Tarleton and Aspire entered a multi-year partnership in August, 2021.

“When you set out looking for sponsorships, it’s about finding something that everybody knows well,” Tarleton head coach Mark Cumpian said. “Whataburger is big in the community and works well with our school. It’s just really helped to build our fan engagement.”

The strong relationship between Tarleton athletics and the local Whataburger has been long standing. Whataburger provides many other enticements at home events, including coupons to every fan who catches a foul ball.

“They have been a great partner with us for many years,” said Nate Bural, a senior associate athletic director for communications at Tarleton. “They are just always looking for ways to get involved with our softball program because our students and community really buy into softball here in Stephenville.”

Tarleton made the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I before the 2021 season and joined the Western Athletic Conference. The Texans finished 17-36 in their inaugural campaign and improved to 30-25 last season. They qualified for the National Invitational Softball Championship, becoming the first Tarleton athletics program to secure a postseason victory in the school’s NCAA Division I era. 

Tarleton brings back nearly its entire team, including juniors Katy Schaefer and Morgan Medford while adding junior outstanding outfielder Kelci Hill, a transfer from Middle Tennessee State.

“I like our squad this year,” Cumpian said. “Every year we are trying to get a little better and add a little more depth than the previous season. I feel like we are pretty good in a lot of spots this year. I like our chances.”

By hosting the six-team tournament, which also includes Creighton, Northern Colorado, Akron and Texas A&M-Commerce, the Texans will get to showcase their stadium expansion.

One year after getting turf and new LED lights installed, Tarleton has increased seating capacity from 500 to 750 and built a new press box. The Texans have reserved seating opportunities for the first time, with 167 stadium chairs available. All the seats will be shaded from the Texas sun with a cantilever roof structure. 

During some home games last season, the crowd stood four deep and the athletics department had to bring in temporary bleachers from the recreation sports field to meet the demand for seats.

“It’s a really cool setup now with the bleachers over the dugouts. There is a little more of an on-the-field feel for the fans,” Cumpian said. “I expect this place to be full (for the tournament).”

Tarleton is playing the role of hospitable host with the help of Whataburger. The Stephenville location is providing discount coupons for all the teams participating in the event.

The home fans may encourage the visitors to consume a few extra patty melts and shakes before playing Tarleton to provide a competitive digestion advantage for Tarleton.

“Everybody loves Whataburger,” Cumpian said. “I mean our California kids say In-N-Out is better, but everybody loves eating at Whataburger. I try to get there whenever I can.”

• This is one of a series of stories D1Softball will be doing throughout the 2023 season to highlight the efforts being made to promote the sport, grow the sport and invest in the sport.