Baseball, basketball tournaments head west

    Say goodbye to the Class 5A championship baseball tournament. It’s going west and taking both Top 28 basketball tournaments with it.    
    While the LHSAA has no immediate plans to move its championship football games out of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Lake Charles area has become the prep sports capital of Louisiana.
    For the past 17 years Sulphur’s Frasch Park has been the home of the “Fast Pitch 56” softball tournament. That city has added the state baseball tournament for 2014 and 2015.
    As it is in softball, all seven classes will hold their semifinal and championship rounds of baseball in Sulphur’s  McMurry Park on three all-weather turf fields.
    Tulane University, which has hosted the Class 5A tournament the past two years, was unable to bid to retain it. The only other suitor was Southern University, which submitted a proposal to host just the classes 3A and 2A tournaments, making Sulphur a shoo-in for the total package.
    Sulphur’s Parks and Recreation Department even sweetened the offer by providing financial aid to the competing schools for hotel expenses and one free meal per day to the teams, provided by local restaurant sponsors.
    The McMurry complex consists of three lighted fields for flexible scheduling and 10 additional fields to conduct practices or for pre-game warm-up activities. Sulphur also will provide ticket gates, press areas, souvenir and concession stands and security.
     Sulphur officials hope the baseball tournament will be an additional boon to the Lake Area economy, feeling if the baseball tournament is as successful as the softball championships have been, Sulphur will be its permanent home.
Fast break to Lake Charles
    Lake Charles also landed a big prize when the LHSAA executive committee awarded both the boys’ and girls’ Top 28 basketball tournaments to be played at Burton Coliseum.
    Lake Charles was awarded the boys’ games over Shreveport-Bossier’s Century-Link Center and Louisiana Tech’s Thomas Assembly Center, which have greater seating capacities.
    Burton Coliseum, currently under renovation, won the bid over Monroe-West Monroe’s proposal to host the games at Louisiana-Monroe’s Fant-Ewing Coliseum, and a proposal submitted by the Hammond Steering Committee to have the games on the Southeastern Louisiana campus. Both arenas have hosted the girls’ tournaments in the past.
     Lake Charles won out when it offered the LHSAA an “award” of $20,000 if that city would get the bid for both tournaments. The favorable vote was 11-8.
Doubling down
    I am curious to see what happens if and when the LHSAA’s public school principals, who  hold the majority voting bloc, decide to hold separate playoffs for “select” and “non-select” schools in all sports as they have for the football playoffs.
    Instead of the “Fast Pitch 56” state softball tournament, will it become “Fast Pitch 112?”
    How will McMurry’s three fields be able to host state championships in nine classes and divisions or Burton Coliseum handle twice the number of championship games? And how many new hotel/motel rooms can be built to accommodate the additional teams and followers?
    Obviously, this scenario opens the door for other cities to host the select school championships. Perhaps New Orleans factions might want to consider bringing the state tournaments back.
    And championship games for select schools will bring the most outstanding teams in Louisiana to the Crescent City.
    City Park will continue to host the state soccer championships at Tad Gormley Stadium for the next two years, getting the bid over Shreveport-Bossier. And Louisiana-Lafayette won the bid for the tennis championships over Monroe-West Monroe and the University of New Orleans courts, submitted by coaches Mike Barnes of the Academy of the Sacred Heart and Mike McGuire of Country Day.
Men’s Club softball
    A new service organization, the New Orleans Catholic Men’s Club Association, has scheduled a double-elimination softball tournament at City Park’s fields on June 22, complete with the Archbishop Rummel High School Tailgating Crew cooking the hamburgers and hot dogs. Of course, all the beverages that make the game of softball more enjoyable will be available.
    The NOCMCA includes men’s club members for several of the local church parishes whose cross-involvement and sharing of ideas will help parishes enhance their fund-raising events, such as fairs, cookoffs and golf outings.
    Eleven teams, who will don their parish colors, will play for first- and second-place awards and bragging rights, said Doug Tillman, President of NOCMCA.
    There is a $5 admission fee for adult spectators; no charge for children. And all of the net proceeds will be donated to Catholic Charities and/or a charity directed by Archbishop Gregory Aymond.
    This is an event Catholic men may want to take in. It will be an ideal opportunity to meet club members for anyone who may be interested in having his parish as a member.       
    The NOCMCA website is www.catholicmensclub.com, and the membership fee is $100.
    Ron Brocato can be reached at rbrocato@clarionherald.org.