ASA event kicks off busy month at Shawnee fields

Today's ASA Class C men's slow-pitch softball tournament marks a stretch of three straight weekend softball tournaments to close the summer schedule at Shawnee Sports Complex.

This weekend's tournament will be the biggest of the three tournaments with 28 teams entered from across the state. Games will start at 8:30 a.m. today and run through Sunday. More than 300 players will compete.

"We'll probably have another 200 to 300 spectators, too," said Kaed Horrell of the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department.

The tournament will include five local teams: Buffalo Wild Wings, Kelsey's/Kohlfeld, Desperados and Edgewater Glass are from Cape Girardeau, and D & D is from Jackson. The winner of the tournament will move up to the Class B division, the highest division in men's slow-pitch softball.

The three softball tournaments end what has been another busy summer for the Shawnee complex.

"We pretty much had tournaments every weekend," Horrell said.

The WASA Class D and Class E tournaments will follow the ASA tournament. Each WASA tournament likely will bring in 12 to 15 teams.

Once the tournaments are over, preparations will be made for the fall schedule. Fall leagues begin in September.