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Top teams continue to flock to Lady ’Canes Spring Classic

The annual softball tournament hosted by Palm Harbor University boasts tons of elite Tampa Bay talent.
 
Taylor Norwood and Palm Harbor University always face stiff competition in their annual spring break tournament. (ANDRES LEIVA | Special to the Times)
Taylor Norwood and Palm Harbor University always face stiff competition in their annual spring break tournament. (ANDRES LEIVA | Special to the Times)
Published March 19, 2019|Updated March 19, 2019

In February, the Eddie C. Moore complex was the site of the St. Pete/Clearwater Invitational, a 16-team college softball tournament that included defending national champion Florida State, as well as several other ranked teams, and was televised on ESPN.

Starting Friday, the complex will be home to another tournament, the Lady ’Canes Spring Classic. This one, hosted by Palm Harbor University, will not be covered by a national network, but it just might be the area’s high school softball state equivalent of the college one held here a month ago.

To get an idea of just how strong the 16-team field is, consider that four teams — Academy at the Lakes (2018), Admiral Farragut (2018), Canterbury (2017) and Newsome (2015) — have won state titles in the past five years. Three others — Academy of the Holy Names (2017), Palm Harbor University (2017) and Strawberry Crest (2016) — have made the state semifinals in that span.

“Each year the brackets are incredibly strong,” PHU coach Kerry Katchuk said. “And it just seems to keep getting better.”

The tournament, which has been held for more than a decade, is the only one in Pinellas County during the regular season. The brackets have varied from 12 to 16 teams and some games used to be played off-site.

The attraction for so many elite teams has to do with the timing of the tournament, as well. It falls during the middle of March, which is around the midpoint of the season and during spring break for many of the counties (Hillsborough and Pasco) that are participating.

In past years the USF/Under Armour Tournament was held at the same time as the Lady ’Canes Spring Classic, giving colleges a chance to watch — and recruit — high school talent in the bay area.

The schedules for both tournaments were not able to synch this year (USF already held its annual tournament), but that did little to lesson the draw.

“One of the things the city was hoping to do was attract out-of-state teams to come down here and play in this tournament,” Katchuk said. “That has not happened. But there has never been a shortage of teams from the area wanting to come here.”

The cost is steep. Each team pays a $400 entry fee. Katchuk said that pretty much covers the expenses for running the tournament (umpires cost $140 a game).

“We make some money off the tournament from the gate and a cut of the concession stand,” Katchuk said. “It’s not a lot, but it helps to cover about half of our expenses of the year.”

With teams coming from three different counties, Katchuk purposely designs the brackets so that teams face competition from another county at least once during the two-day tournament.

That helps break up the monotony of playing the same programs again and again during the regular season.

But sometimes it is hard to avoid undesirable matchups.

Last year, the host Hurricanes were supposed to play Newsome in the championship game. Because the teams both belong to the same district (Class 9A-8) and could see each other in the postseason, they declined to play a title game.

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“The thing I like about the tournament is you get to see teams you’re not playing all the time,” said Newsome coach Autumn Dunn, who has gone to the tournament the past three years. “Kerry does a good job of making sure you’re getting quality games against different teams.

“Last year we were supposed to play Palm Harbor University in the championship game. Well, neither of us wanted that because we were going to play each other possibly four other times, so he worked it out where we got to play someone else.”

It is also a chance for fans to catch players they could very well see at the St. Pete/Clearwater Invitational in a few years.

Academy at the Lakes’ Lexi Kilfoyl is one of the top pitchers in the nation and has already signed with Alabama. Teammate Brooke Blankenship, a shortstop, has committed to FSU.

Palm Harbor University outfielder Mia Buffano is a Florida signee. Newsome pitcher Mary Beth Feldman is a Utah signee who will be joining her older sister, Claire, in college next season. Claire and her teammates played at the St. Pete/Clearwater Invitational last month.

“It’s a great area to see softball at all levels,” Katchuk said.

Lady ’Canes Spring Classic

Where: Eddie C. Moore Complex, 3050 Drew St., Clearwater

Host: Palm Harbor University

Friday: Robinson vs. Tampa Catholic, 5 p.m.; Dunedin vs. Holy Names, 5 p.m.; Academy at the Lakes vs. Tarpon Springs, 5 p.m.; Newsome vs. Jefferson, 5 p.m.; East Lake vs. Calvary Christian, 7 p.m.; Durant vs. Admiral Farragut, 7 p.m.; Canterbury vs. Osceola, 7 p.m.; Palm Harbor University vs. Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Saturday: Games every two hours starting at 9 a.m. and wrapping up with the final at 7 p.m.

Contact Bob Putnam at bputnam@tampabay.com. Follow @BobbyHomeTeam.