LUBBOCK, Texas-- Brian Melakian, the owner of Play It Again Sports in Lubbock, said softball gear has been flying off the shelf these past two years.

He said, he ordered gear for the year in January. When that sold out, he ordered more in May, but then that also sold out.

With the success of the Texas Tech softball team, he credited some of that popularity to their season, but said the seed was planted about 30 years ago.

"You go back to '93 with Sheryl Swoopes, Krista Gerlich, like that whole team that planted the seed," Melakian said.

And after that, it inspired generations of girls and women to pursue sports.

''Little girls then they're now moms. They've had their daughters in sports since they were six seven, eight years old. Now they're in high school, now they're in college," Me

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