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Sports

Wednesday, 30 March 2011 12:21

OHS third baseman Alexa Ballard (Miami-Dade) is one of many this weekend.

Three state champions in 38-team tournament field

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
The 19th annual Kissimmee Klassic softball tournament begins its three-day run today at the Osceola County Softball Complex with 38 prep teams in action.

This year, the tournament consists of two 16-team brackets (blue and gold) and another six-team bracket (white) that contain three 2010 state champions and 27 teams that have been ranked among their respective top 10s at some point this season.
The action begins today at 2 p.m.
Osceola High, the only local team competing, meets Naples Gulf Coast today at 6 p.m. for its tournament opener in the gold bracket.
All four Class 6A state tournament teams last season, led by champion Palm Beach Gardens, are at the Klassic. The Gators meet Okeechobee today at 8 p.m. in the blue bracket.
Defending Class 3A champion Gulliver Prep opens today at 2 p.m. against Space Coast in the blue bracket. Class 2A defending state champ Pine Castle Christian plays Bradford Starke at 4 p.m. in the gold bracket.
Tournament director Roger Jones expects many college coaches to attend the tournament.
“Last year, 127 student-athletes here went on to win state honors,” Jones said. “The college coaches flock here to see them in action against top competition.”
One 2007 Klassic alum, pitcher Kelsi Dunn, of Spruce Creek High, went to the University of Alabama and became the first pick of the 2011 National Pro Fastpitch League draft.

News-Gazette Photos/Andrew Sullivan

Osceola junior Kaley Brosious makes contact during a recent game against Harmony.

Three of the state’s 2010 pitchers of the year (Haylie Wilson, Jacksonville Bolles; Kaley Bitterman, Pine Castle Christian; Emily Winesett, Canterbury) are in the 2011 field along with 2010 Class 6A Player of the Year Kaylie Wallace of Palm Beach Gardens. Emily Carosone, of Pine Castle, was the Class 2A Player of the Year.
Osceola, 12-2, won the inaugural Klassic in 1993 when it was a three-team event. The Lady Kowboys, No. 6 in this week’s Miracle Sports Class 5A poll, recently clinched the Orange Belt Conference championship and will be one of the top seeds at the 5A District 5 tournament at Lake Wales in three weeks.
Coach George Coffey, the tournament’s executive director, said the purpose of hosting the Klassic serves two purposes: It gives his team an opportunity to compete against excellent competition, and the tournament draws hundreds of softball players and their families to Kissimmee to boost tourism.
“We’ve taken our knocks here over the years, but I believe it makes us a better team,” he said.
The tournament continues Friday starting at 11 a.m. and Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The three championship games begin Saturday at 6 p.m.
Daily admission is $9. A tournament pass is available for $25.
Harmony, 13-4, visits St. Cloud, 9-6, today at 7 p.m. for a 4A District 6 game. The Lady Longhorns, No. 8 in the Class 4A poll, already have clinched the No. 1 seed at the district tournament.
St. Cloud Coach Mike Gale said his team has an opportunity to build momentum with the district tournament looming soon.
“We haven’t been consistent against the good teams, we’ve made way too many errors,” he said.