Bloomington Stix pursue third straight Kelso Klassic title

KELSO, Mo. -- It's been three years since Pete's Blues fielded a team to compete in the Kelso Klassic.

For Jim Pecararo and the Blues, there was some added incentive this year to round up the old gang.

The Blues, from Mascoutah, Ill., hold the distinction of the only team in the 31-year history of the annual fastpitch softball tournament to win three consecutive Klassic titles. And the Bloomington Stix were taking aim at that record.

"A couple of us actually helped them last year win their second one," said Pecararo with a chuckle. "We absolutely want to stop them from winning three in a row."

Such is the life of a fast-pitch softball player. You're competitors for seven innings, and beer-drinking buddies the rest of the night. And there's no place better for post-game camaraderie than the Kelso Softball Complex, which is playing host to the 32nd Annual Kelso Klassic this weekend.

Kelso pitcher Carlos Cabrera throws to a McMahon Meats batter during the second inning at the Kelso Klassic.

"The environment here is amazing, and that's why we picked this tournament," said Pecararo, a long-time veteran of Team USA softball and one of the galvanizing forced behind this year's Pete's Blues entry. "We love this tournament. The fans come out and support it, you get the trucks lined up along the (outfield) fence, everybody out here BBQing and drinking, tailgate atmosphere -- it's great. We like Kelso probably better than any other tournament we play in."

This tournament, which doubles as an International Softball Congress World Tournament qualifier, is the only one this group of Blues will participate in this year -- a testament to not only the importance of defending their trifecta from 2011 to 2013, but also the congeniality that is the Kelso Klassic. For 32 years, this tiny town just south of Scott City has hosted some of the top fastpitch softball teams and talent not only in the nation, but the world.

Jeramie Holman, who pitched the Blues to the championship in 2011 and 2012, returns to the team that also features one of the world's top hurlers in Jonas Mach. The Stix counter with a team that features 20-year-old New Zealander Ethan Johnston and Joel Goodall, from Melbourne, Australia, on the mound.

Goodall came to the Stix on loan from Circle Tap, a fastpitch team from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

"I played one tournament with the Stix in the ISC World Championship two years ago," said Goodall, a college student majoring in nutrition who works in customer relations and billing for a toll road company back home in Australia. "We didn't have a tournament this weekend, so I decided to come down and play with the Stix."

Kelso's Derek Landewee catches a McMahon Meats popup during Saturday's game.

"It's a family atmosphere with softball," said Chad Seeman, manager of the Stix. "Everybody kind of knows everybody because the good teams always end up at the same tournaments. And we return the favor, if they need a player on our off-weekend, we send a player up to them. So we try to trade a little bit."

For a player like Johnston, a first-year player for the Stix who has also played internationally in Japan, competing here was an eye-opener.

"This is more high-class softball than some of the other places I've played," said Johnston. "You come here, and you've got some big names out there that you've got to compete against."

Defending their title is important to Seeman and the Stix, but simply participating here is high on Seeman's list.

"This is one of our favorite tournaments of the year," he said. "The atmosphere is second to none. It gets big crowds. They know how to do their food here, which is excellent. It's just so neat for the boys. We pull up (Friday) night, and there's a couple thousand people here. You should see their eyes, they just light up. It's really neat down here."

"That's the highest compliment you can get," said Larry Eftink, tournament director for the Klassic and a long-time player and coach for Kelso Fastpitch. "From a guy that has played at that level, has coached at that level, been all around, for him to put this tournament on his schedule, for him to make effort to get (his players) here to experience this, that does say a lot."

He cited the close proximity of the fields to the fans, who line the fences and are virtually standing next to the dugouts as the players come off the field.

"You don't get this any other place in the country," he said. "I've never been any other place where the setup is like this. We always try to put a new team that hadn't been here in that first-game, Friday-night setting. We know we're gonna have a pretty good crowd."

The Stix remained on track for a third straight title, reaching today's winner's bracket final with a 1-0 win over McMahon Meats in a semifinal Saturday night.

Pete's Blues advanced to the winner's bracket semifinals, where they were playing Topeka at press time.

Kelso Fastpitch, which lost to McMahon Meats 16-3 in five innings earlier in the day, was playing the Springfield, Mo., Falcons in an elimination game at press time.

The championship game is scheduled for 3 p.m. today, with an if-necessary title game at 4:30.