24 softball teams ready to kick off the season

1 of 2

GARVEY SCOTT | The Star

When Platte County defeated Kearney in last year’s championship game of the Greater Kansas City Softball Tournament, two of the players in the game and returnees this season are Haley Pypes (above) of Platte County and Kat Barrow (below) of Kearney.

JOHN SLEEZER | The Star

more softball...

• FALL SPORTS NOTES: Kearney, Platte County third at state softball tournament
• Cape Girardeau Notre Dame holds off Platte County 4-2
• Five things to watch at Missouri state softball
• Kearney beats LS North 1-0, moves into softball semifinals
• LS North, Kearney advance to softball quarterfinals

you might also like...

• Softball takes center stage next week
• It wasn’t just football teams in the Northland that started practicing on Monday
• Northland fall sports notebook: boys soccer, softball, girls golf
• Five things to watch at Missouri state softball
• Platte County wins KC suburban softball tournament

The fall athletic season for Missouri high schools officially begins Monday when area softball teams launch their seasons at a torrid pace.

The Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference softball tournament features 24 teams, including Missouri Class 3 state champion Platte County among many other top teams, at Adair Park in Independence.

The tournament begins Monday afternoon with pool play before the teams break up in brackets, and the final two standing are scheduled to meet for the championship at 5:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28. The early starting time is because most football season openers are the same night, but before fans fill football stadiums under the lights, softball will reign supreme throughout the week.

William Chrisman athletics director Dan Ogle organizes the annual tournament that is widely viewed as a launching pad for teams to succeed for the rest of the season.

“With any season, it’s exciting to get started,” Ogle said. “Softball is interesting. Very few high school sports start with a big event, or a big bang, if you will at the offset. But here we are going to play 60 games in five days and establish a pecking order on who’s best.”

State-qualifying teams such as Harrisonville, Kearney and Oak Park will be among the tournament favorites -- a challenging, yet productive test for teams like William Chrisman. Bears coach Mark Amos watched his girls finish 2-3 in the tournament last season but also recognized the benefits from playing the good competition early.

“Softball is such a short season,” Amos said. “I always think the teams that do very well start off that first tournament on a great note.”

Comments - leave comment