[Strikeout King]

http://scoreboard.riherds.com/scoreboard...ent_122200


Region 14 drew Region 12

[Bobsoftball]

Oldham co.will probably play Mercy in the first round, then the winner of that game will play Greenwood or Bowling Green. If it plays out the way it should. Thats a big if.

[blue1424]

Oldham co.will probably play Mercy in the first round, then the winner of that game will play Greenwood or Bowling Green. If it plays out the way it should. Thats a big if.

Actually the winner of 8th vs. 6th will play the winner of the 14th vs. 12th. But I do expect Oldham County and Mercy to play in the first round.

[lastrebel1985]

I would say the top half of the bracket is easily the toughest.

[outsidein]

I have to say Jack Fisher park is the worse place to have state.

[blue1424]

I have to say Jack Fisher park is the worse place to have state.

I wouldn't mind seeing it moved to the new park in E-Town.

[Shelbycatfan]

We have traveled all across the country from Maryland to Florida to Utah and Colorado, the new park in E-town is one of the best in the country, they did an outstanding job!

[cksportsfan]

I live in Elizabethtown. Have my entire life.

The complex IS nice:
- Designed well.
- Great viewing for fans.
- Pretty easy to get to (not far from Central Hardin, straight down ring road from hotel area, straight down mulberry from hotel area).
- Wi-Fi abundant.
- Plenty of areas for teams to hang out/camp out/set up tents or whatever.
- Fields are gorgeous.
- Huge dugouts.
- Good scoreboards (although originally they were all supposed to be nine-inning scoreboards where you could program teams' names in to give it that extra touch)

That being said, there is at least one HUGE issue with the park.

If you've been to tiebreaker (Hoptown), Fisher (Owensboro) or even Skyview (J'town) -- the last three places that have held State, IIRC -- they ALL have that centralized building.

E'town does NOT (although did in original designs, got cut as park was running WAY over budget).

For the average state tournament game, you have the:
- P.A. announcer
- official bookkeeper
- KHSAA online computer statkeeper (for online live stats)
- KHSAA officials/umpire coordinator (for rating the officials during the game)
- 1 or 2 Ihigh guys (for online live audio/visual)
- At least one radio station (1 or 2 guys)
- Home newspaper
- Visitor newspaper
- Home Site newspaper (Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer for when it is in Owensboro, New Era when Hopkinsville hosts, Courier-Journal when J'town hosts)

And with four games going on at a time, you've got 40 people (10 per game) to account for. The Elizabethtown Sports Park has no permanent allotted space away from the elements.

The E.S.P. tried tents to help with this when it hosted a national-qualifier (winner got OHio Valley bid to Cal Ripken nationals on CSS TV) youth baseball tourney last summer.

Massive failure.

With the tent option, you had people walking in front or behind you. Wind blowing papers all over the place. Rain. And putting a statkeeper out in the sun all day when they are accustomed to being in the air condition high above the action (and away from distractions) did NOT sit well with the W.L. Stats people.

So while the park is very very nice and has a lot to offer -- it will get many youth tournaments and other events because of its other amenities -- do NOT look for it to land a major KHSAA/NAIA/NCAA tourney any time soon.

Because what the organizers NEED for media/statkeepers/themselves, the E.S.P. does NOT have.

Obviously travel ball is a different animal and doesn't need all that press box space.

[Mountaineer Man]

I have called at the E-town park, and while I agree, it is incredibly nice. There is one more HUGE draw back. Parking! I had to take a hike with my equipment to get to the dressing room.

[outsidein]

Ck you have a point. Last time it was in hoptown was in 03 and jefferson was in 07. Long time for both these places.

[Mountaineer Man]

I have to say Jack Fisher park is the worse place to have state.

NO!!! Skyview was/is the worse. Terrible would be a better word.

[outsidein]

Skyview is bad.....

[cksportsfan]

I didnt bring up parking at elizabethtown, but yeah, it is a big concern. Now there are plenty of spaces and they are newly paved (unlike owensboro or j-town, when i had to park in the grass), but the etown spaces can be a hike (from the football-soccer lots).

Wasnt Buchanon Park in Bowling Green recently re-done? I would think B.G. would be a viable option (especially since it hosts plenty of travel and USSSA tourneys).

[Fastpitchfan]

I heard a lot of complaints this week end . The weather was a problem a lot of teams complained about not knowing what was going on during the rain delays . It's hard to predict the weather and that's not anyone's fault . I think they could maintain the fields better than they do they have never impressed me any time I've ever been there.

[Sportsnutt]

It needs to be more centralized...long way for teams to travel from the East...I am surprised Pike Co.or Boyd Co. has not tried to put in fields like Jack Fisher Park...They have the hotels...would be a nice change to have the western teams travel 4-5 hours instead.:Thumbs:

[columbia_411]

Stone Crest at Prestonsburg does a good job with the weather-played summer ball there when it seemed impossible after a downpour. Also-we could always have it on a field with turf?

[outsidein]

CK you are correct... they added some fields across the parking lot from the other fields. Very nice.

[ERblue4ever]

Its time to bring the state tournament to Eastern Kentucky. We have had it al lover the state and its eastern Kentucky's chance!!!! Prestonsburg has the fields and in between Paintsville, Pikeville and Prestonsburg we have the hotels. I'm sure we can find a corporate sponsor.

[cksportsfan]

Its time to bring the state tournament to Eastern Kentucky. We have had it al lover the state and its eastern Kentucky's chance!!!! Prestonsburg has the fields and in between Paintsville, Pikeville and Prestonsburg we have the hotels. I'm sure we can find a corporate sponsor.

Have to have a four-field complex, since the first four rounds (first two rounds of winners bracket, first two rounds of losers bracket) feature four games at the same time per round.

And I don't think Prestonsburg is allowed to count Pikeville's hotels. IIRC, for the bidding process, hotels have to be within 25 miles.

Plus, the KHSAA -- for team sports at least -- likes having events in places that are easy to get to. Interstate runs right thru Louisville. BG Parkway to Lexington (plus an interstate). BG has I-65. Owensboro has WK parkway. Hopkinsville has a parkway. Elizabethtown has parkway and interstate.

Prestonsburg? Paintsville? Pikeville? No major roads according to yahoo maps.

I'm from E'town. I'm NOT -- repeat, NOT -- for E'town hosting state softball until its gets two issues resolved (press box for KHSAA/stats/media and parking is a concern). But E'town is a beautiful park. Easy to get to. Plenty of hotels and restaurants.

The 3 Ps -- Prestonsburg, Paintsville, Pikeville -- would be a darkhorse. Because of roads. Because of facilities. Because of hotels. Because very few teams would actually be close to the complex (kills fan support). Take your pic.

If it is in E'town, you have three teams within an hour -- region 5, region 6 and region 7. Several more within two hours.

I read somewhere that more than half the tournament teams would be less than 2 hours (and no more than 3) from the Elizabethtown Sports Park.

That's why the E.S.P. has instantly become huge on the travel ball circuit. Yes, big cities should have nice parks, but it is quite easy to get to E'town from Indy, Nashville, St. Louis (less than 5 hours), Louisville, Lexington, Cincy. Heck Huntsville Alabama is less than 5 hours and Atlanta is like 6.

[columbia_411]

Interstate is in progress through Eastern Ky (I-66) thanks to previous Governor Paul Patton.