Here comes the rain again: Mother Nature expected to disrupt Kelso Klassic

The 21st annual Kelso Klassic fast-pitch softball tournament was rained out in June, and director Larry Eftink has a feeling Kelso will get another dose of rain when the event resumes on Friday.

After all, it has rained on the tournament 17 of the last 18 years.

"Farmers like it, though," Eftink said. "That's kind of the joke around here. The farmers are pretty much guaranteed a good rain whenever the tournament is."

Eftink has been playing in the Klassic since it began, and he's pretty well used to the merciless mid-June showers.

"The first three were dry," he said, "but we've only had one time in the last 18 years that we didn't get any rain.

"I don't know what it is. I'd say chances are very good that it's going to rain again. We're right on schedule for some rain."

Although the first round was completed in June, the Klassic will start completely over this weekend due to several team changes. The event initially pitted 14 teams but several had to drop out and a couple joined in, giving the tournament nine teams for the three-day event. The 19-and-under squad from New Zealand, which played on the tournament's opening night in June, will not return.

The bracket-style tournament at the Kelso City Park will open tonight with a friendly old-timers game between Kelso and New Hamburg at 7 p.m.

"It's for guys that aren't active in softball anymore, guys that haven't played in a long time," Eftink said of the old-timers matchup. "Kelso and New Hamburg were always pretty good rivals."

That will be followed by the tournament's first official game at 8:30 p.m., when tournament hosts Kelso Fastpitch and Jamco Transportation square off.

The bulk of the games will take place Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. Play on Sunday begins at 9 a.m. with the championship game is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. and an if-necessary game to follow at 4 p.m.

The Klassic, according to Eftink, is one of the most popular tournaments around.

"Most of the people that come here say it's the best tournament they go to all year," he said. "Most of the time we'll end up with more teams, but the first 14 paid get in."

Eftink has been the director of the tournament for four years. He grew up playing baseball in Kelso, and his love for the game carried over into his softball career.

"I played baseball all the way through Legion," he said. "Every little town around here had a men's fastpitch team, and it was just a normal transition to go from competitive baseball to fastpitch."

Eftink takes care of getting the teams together, collecting entry fees and scheduling the tournament amongst other duties.

"I make sure everything's running right," he said. "I take care of the field, the gatekeepers, organizing, just keeping on top of things."

While fast-pitch softball in Southeast Missouri and the Midwest still is a popular activity, Eftink said the sport is losing interest -- and pitchers-- around the nation.

"We're trying to keep fast-pitch alive," he said. "It's dying across the country. There's not nearly as many teams, and there's not enough pitchers. Pitching is an important part of the game, and it's not the same if you don't have the pitching."

Eftink, who coaches and plays left field for the Kelso Fastpitch squad that recently qualified for the Class B national tournament -- scheduled for Sept. 1 to 4 in Decatur, Ill. -- isn't about to give up on the sport yet, though.

"I just like how the game involves all the aspects of a baseball game, just on a smaller field. It's a quick game, with bunting, stealing, and a variety of pitches that a pitcher can throw," he said. "It's just love of the game."