Vandalia plays role of favorite in 24th Kelso Klassic

Kelso Fastpitch first baseman Larry Eftink said taking the field on opening night of the Kelso Klassic is always an exciting experience.

"It's definitely somewhat of a carnival atmosphere," Eftink said. "People come out here and back up to the outfield fence in pickup trucks and line around the field."

The 24th annual Kelso Klassic men's fastpitch tournament begins tonight with Kelso Fastpitch playing the Southern Illinois Pirates at Kelso City Park at 8 p.m.

The double-elimination tournament consists of 14 teams and continues through Sunday, when it concludes with a 4:30 p.m. championship contest.

"There are a lot of ex-college players, guys who have even played minor league ball," said Eftink, the tournament director. "It's just a lot of good athletes wanting to compete at a game that's not that easy to play. You'll see some great pitching. ... But if a [pitcher] is just a little bit off his game, then the hitting is going to shine, too."

Eftink said last year's runner-up Vandalia Freight is the favorite to win. Vandalia lost last spring to Bloomington Stix, which is not returning to defend its title.

Vandalia Freight won the tournament in 2003 and 2006.

For the first time in Kelso Klassic history, the winner will qualify for the International Softball Congress World Tournament in August in Kimberly, Wis.

"They contacted us," Eftink said of the International Softball Congress. "I'm not exactly sure why, other than they heard good things about our tournament and that it draws a lot of teams. Being here in the Midwest, they thought it would be a good fit for them to make it a qualifying tournament. The ISC is the pinnacle of men's fastpitch tournaments. If you play in the ISC world, then you're playing against the best in the world that play the game."

Eftink said he was excited to be able to assemble a 14-team field in a time when he has witnessed a national decline in the popularity of men's fastpitch softball.

"Most of the tournaments you go to have six or eight [teams] or less," Eftink said. "And I know a lot of teams look at this as actually the highlight of their year.

"I think it's going to be real competitive because there are getting to be less and less so-called major teams which have loaded up in dominant pitching. We have some very good pitching in this tournament, but pretty much anyone in the tournament when they're on [can be successful]. I think all the games are going to be good."

The tournament added a new team, Anadarko Superchief, from Oklahoma.

Jamco Transportation, the second tournament host behind Kelso Fastpitch, will play its first game Friday at 9:30 p.m. against Lee's Sports Falcons.

Eftink said he thinks his squad has a chance of winning some games and he is ready to play against Southern Illinois.

"Last year we had a pretty good run, and it all boils down to getting good pitching and timely hitting," Eftink said. "It's going to be a lot of fun because there's a lot of guys who I've competed against over the years. They [Southern Illinois] are definitely going to be a well-experienced team. Some of the guys have been playing this a long time like myself."