Kelso Klassic will have new champ this year

~ The 14-team men's fastpitch tournament begins today

For the first time in four years, there will be a new Kelso Klassic champion.

Pete's Blues of Mascoutah, Illinois, the powerhouse squad that won the last three titles of the men's fastpitch softball tournament, will not be around for the 30th annual event.

The absence gives way to a wide-open field when play begins today at Kelso City Park, said tournament media coordinator Jerry Wolsey.

"There is no telling who the favorite really is," said Wolsey, a former Southeast Missouri State baseball player and current Kelso Fastpitch player and coach. "Pete's Blues usually runs the table, and now that they're out it just creates all kind of scenarios. Anyone could win, even a Cinderella team could come out on top."

The popular 14-team event, a staple of the community and its surrounding area for three decades, is an International Softball Congress qualifier for the world tournament in Canada.

There will be four games played today to kick off the tournament, two at 7:30 p.m. and two at 9 p.m. Host Kelso Fastpitch, the lone local squad, will play Donnewald Budweiser out of Greenville, Illinois, at 7:30 p.m.

Games resume at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and will be played throughout the day. Action will continue 9 a.m. Sunday and conclude with the 3 p.m. championship game.

Wolsey said fans new to the Kelso Klassic should take in the opening ceremonies tonight to experience the environment.

"It is the atmosphere that brings people back each year," Wolsey said. "It's a well-attended event where we can expect about 1,000 people each day of the tournament, plus there is plenty of food and beverage and some of the best pitchers in the world will be showing their best stuff all weekend long."

Wolsey added that the competition between teams is as entertaining as any other professional sport.

"It's always very exciting," Wolsey said. "Guys are hungry to win this game; it's bragging rights. It's fun and, most importantly, it's a chance to go to the world tournament."

Pete's Blues folded after many of its players left for other squads or quit playing.

Three members of Pete's Blues three-peat championship team -- Daniel Eisenhauer, Adam Barczewski and Steve Linton -- are now playing for the Lee's Sports Falcons out of Pinckneyville, Illinois.

The Blues went 4-0 in last year's tournament, capped off by a 3-2 win over the Bloomington Stix of Bloomington, Illinois, in the championship game.

The Stix are back in the field, making just their second appearance in the tournament since 2007, and are expected to be a top contender for the title.

"There's no doubt they're one of the favorites, because they're basically a professional team," Wolsey said about the Stix. "The quality of national and international players they have make them tough competition, and they're hard to beat in all aspects of the game."

The Stix are among the top teams in the nation and rank 14th in the world, according to the ISC. Last year, the Stix placed sixth in the ISC world tournament.

Other contenders for the title include the Topeka Toros of Topeka, Kansas. The Toros finished second in the Kelso Klassic in 2012 and third last year.

Topeka's Jaime Garcia Jr. was the tournament MVP in 2012 and is considered one of the best players in this year's tournament.

"He's just an all-around athlete," Wolsey said. "He can hit, run and play the field well, so he's definitely someone to watch."

Wolsey also expects Clubhouse Bar & Grill from St. Louis and the Central Illinois Knights of Nokomis, Illinois, to be among the top contenders.

Kelso Fastpitch also has high hopes of contending for the title after placing fifth last year.

The squad includes Jonathan Lynch, a 2011 Notre Dame High School graduate who won the Kelso Klassic MVP last year.

Lynch's play is recognized well beyond Southeast Missouri. He has been named the North American Fastpitch Association A-Major All World Performer in 2012 and 2013. At the highest level, which is the ISC, Lynch made the ISC All World Team playing for the Stix, but has chosen to play for the home team in this year's Kelso Klassic. He also plays fastpitch professionally for a team in New York.

"He's played against some of the best and has proved that he can handle anything thrown his way," Wolsey said. "We're happy to have him on our team."

Kelso's top pitcher, Tom Jansen, is also a product of Notre Dame.

Jansen was the NAFA A-Major Pitcher of the Year in 2013 and also was named the Kelso Klassic's pitcher of the tournament in 2012.

Dane Balsman, also a graduate of Notre Dame, catches balls and strikes for Jansen. Balsman was a NAFA A-Major All World performer at catcher last year and is among Kelso's top hitters with a .357 batting average.

Wolsey expects the weather to cooperate and large crowds.

"We love the passionate fans," Wolsey said. "They're what makes it so fun to play, and I expect nothing different from the crowds we get this weekend."