Esports 4/6/2025 11:22:00 AM

Blinn Overwatch advances to CECC Texas Qualifier semifinal round

The Buccaneers defeated UT-Arlington and Texas A&M in the group stage

Esports 4/6/2025 11:22:00 AM

Blinn Overwatch advances to CECC Texas Qualifier semifinal round

The Buccaneers defeated UT-Arlington and Texas A&M in the group stage

The Blinn College esports Overwatch team opened the Collegiate Esports Commissioner's Cup Texas Qualifier with a pair of victories Saturday.

The Buccaneers defeated the University of Texas-Arlington 3-0 and Texas A&M University 3-1 in the group stage round to advance to Sunday's knockout stage.

Both matches were contested under a best-of-five format.

Competing for Blinn were Joseph Mares, Haluk Tanriseven, Matthew Hutchings, Donnivan Straight, and Dhruv Pandrangi.

The team is competing for a berth in the Commissioner's Cup on May 2-4 in Arlington, Texas.

The Bucs will now face Texas A&M White in the semifinal round at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The winner takes on the winner of the University of Texas-Dallas and Texas A&M in the finals, also Sunday.

Overwatch is a team-based, first-person-shooter in which players select heroes with unique abilities and work together to complete objectives across multiple map modes. Each team can strategically choose its maps based on team strengths and opponent weaknesses.

Each round Saturday included a different win condition based on the following modes:

Control: Teams fight to capture and hold a single point. The first team to reach 100% control wins two rounds in a best-of-three format, where the loser of each round picks the next map.
Escort: The attacking team moves a payload to its destination while defenders try to stop them. The payload moves when attackers are near it, and the attackers aim to complete the route before time runs out.
Hybrid: Teams capture a point and then escort a payload. The match is typically one round for attackers, who must secure the point first before moving the payload.
Push: Teams battle to control a robot and push it toward the opponent's side. The first team to push it farther than their opponents wins, with the loser picking the next map.
Clash: Teams capture consecutive points, with the first team to a set number of points winning.

"Overall, it was a great day for the squad," Blinn head coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said. "We're trending in the right direction and continuing to clean up our play heading into the knockout stages. We are really fighting to pull out this tournament win and secure our spot in the Commissioner's Cup."

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 50 national championships since 1987.

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