The College of the Canyons softball program invites all former Cougars to participate in the program’s inaugural alumni game being held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015.

Ray Whitten Field, located on the college’s Valencia campus, will once again host some of the best COC softball players from the last two decades, with more than 25 former players expected to participate in the game.

COC Athletic Hall of Fame inductees and former softball head coaches Ray Whitten and Lee Smelser will coach the alumni teams. Current COC softball players will serve as assistant coaches, public address announcers and umpires during the exciting and upbeat event.

Ray Whitten was inducted into the COC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. During his tenure as head coach from 1984 to 2007, Whitten led the Cougars to eight straight Western State Conference titles, was named conference coach of the year eight times and was named Southern California Community Softball Coach of the year in 1999.

Lee Smelser is a member of COC’s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class from 2005. In addition to serving as COC men’s basketball program’s first head coach from 1969 to 2001, Smelser was the softball program’s first head coach and led the team in its first two seasons.

Participation in the game itself is open to all former COC softball players.

For $50 registration fee participants will receive a COC softball alumni T-shirt and a post-game luncheon.

Participants are asked to RSVP by Monday, Dec. 15, with COC softball head coach John Wissmath in order to reserve a spot in the game.

Admission to the game is free for family, friends, community supporters and all other COC softball fans.

Food, drinks and COC softball apparel will be available for purchase at the game.

For more information about the inaugural COC softball alumni game or to RSVP to participate please contact John Wissmath at (530) 518-9054 or john.wissmath@canyons.edu.