~ The 23rd edition of the tournament begins today.

The odds for local success at the 23rd annual Kelso Klassic got a boost with the addition of a third Kelso squad in the 14-team field, but without a title in more than 10 years it will continue to be an uphill battle for Kelso Fastpitch, Kelso JAMCO and Kelso Supply when play begins today.

Kelso Supply will take its first crack at the tournament this year. Opening-round games tonight include Kelso Fastpitch against Elkville and Kelso Supply versus Lee's Sports Falcons, both at 8 p.m. The other host, Kelso JAMCO, will take on the Belleville (Ill.) Stallions at 9:30 p.m.

"There's three teams so that gives us another chance," Klassic assistant tournament director Rick Heuring said. "It still will be awfully tough."

Kohfield Distributing was the last local team to win the tournament in 1997. While many of the key players on Kelso Fastpitch and Kelso JAMCO are fastpitch veterans, the Kelso Supply team is primarily composed of players new to the sport.

"Kelso Supply's a fairly young team," Heuring said. "Some of these guys are just starting out. We've got five teams in the [Kelso summer fastpitch] league this year, and that shows there's more interest."

The Bloomington Stix, the 2004 champions, are the favorite, according to Heuring. The Stix feature a pair of hurlers from Argentina, led by Maxi Montero, who has yet to be scored upon this year.

"Their fourth starting pitcher is probably better than everyone else's ace throughout the tournament," Heuring said. "That says a lot about how good they are."

Vandalia (Ill.) Freight is the defending champion, winning eight straight games following a first-round loss last year. Perennial contender Nokomis Bud Light of Nokomis, Ill., is back once again. Lee's Sports Falcons of Radom, Ill., is the 2005 winner and also among the favorites.

The three-day tournament will conclude Sunday with a championship round at 3 p.m.

"As far as the competition level is concerned, every game should be competitive," Heuring said.

Of course, when speaking of the Kelso Klassic, the subject of rain cannot be avoided. Rain has affected the tournament in 17 of the past 19 years, and twice in the past five years the tournament has been pushed to August because of rain. The weather forecast as of Thursday called for scattered thunderstorms today, and mainly clear weather Saturday and Sunday.

"The weather reports earlier said rain [Thursday] ending [Friday] afternoon, and if it does that we should be fine," Heuring said. "We don't want to get behind that first day."