Defending league champion Bryan will play host to a dangerous, veteran Belton team as District 13-5A softball play begins Tuesday night.

Belton has never beaten Bryan at Lady Viking Field, but Belton (9-2) is considered the team to beat in 13-5A by the coaches at Bryan and A&M Consolidated.

"On paper, Belton is probably the No. 1 team in our district this year," Bryan coach Enrique Luna said. "They have eight returning starters and 11 or 12 lettermen from last year, so they're definitely the most experienced squad in our district."

Bryan and Belton will battle at 6:30 p.m., while Consol will start league play with a 6:30 game at Harker Heights.

Last year, the Lady Vikings recovered from an opening loss at Belton to finish 11-1 and claim the district title. Belton went 10-2 to take second place and disrupt the domination of the league by Bryan and Consol.

"I think that was a good wake-up call for our kids last year," Luna said. "Belton had something to say about it just being us and Consolidated. They whipped us."

The Lady Vikes are 4-2 on the season. Bryan has played fewer games than Belton and Consol because the Lady Vikings have two tournaments remaining.

"It's kind of hard to tell what we are capable of because we've only played six games, but we've pretty much shown that we can compete against anybody," Luna said.

Consol's girls are 5-6 on the season. Last weekend, the Lady Tigers went 3-3 at the Pearland tournament, including an 8-2 win over a Baytown Sterling team that had been unbeaten in the tourney.

"We're progressing pretty well," Consol coach Billy Hicks said. "I'm really pleased. We've played a gauntlet of teams and gone through some rough competition. While I feel we could be 7-4 or 8-3, I'm not disappointed with our record because we've competed."

The Lady Tigers will play in the Corpus Christi tournament this weekend, then return to league play at Temple on Monday. Consol's first district home game will be against Belton on March 14.

Hicks said he expects Belton, Bryan and Consol to battle for the district title.

"Every report I've had says Belton is mashing the ball," Hicks said. "We might all end up beating each other up. We could all end up with two losses and be tied for first."

• Larry Bowen's e-mail address is larry.bowen@theeagle.com.

HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

BELTON AT BRYAN

WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lady Viking Field

RECORDS: Bryan (4-2), Belton (9-2)

Consol at Harker Heights

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

RECORDS: Consol (5-6), Harker Heights (0-2)