Softball teams from all classes will once again converge at Perry this season.
The Fast Pitch Classic takes place at Perry High School this weekend, Aug. 18-20.
Perry coach Brian Hayes said he is expecting quality softball on a wide variety of levels.
“There’s some really good competition coming,” Hayes said. “A couple of 6A schools, I think we have every class in the state coming. Really good middle class schools at 3A and 4A and all the way down to Class B.”
His own squad in among the 12-team field that will be playing six games during the three days. And he is looking for the team to build on what it did last week.
“We got better last weekend, which is good,” Hayes said. “We went to Tuttle Tournament, which is basically the Who’s Who of 2A, 3A and 4A. So if you’re really good, you’re probably in that tournament. There’s a few exceptions.
“But we went down there and we took our lumps, we went 2-4, but we got better and that’s why I go. I go to that tournament because we’re going to play good people and if you get beat, it will probably make you better.”
Chickasha, defending Class 4A state champion, along with Perry are two of the six teams in the Maroon Pool. Blackwell, Mannford, Millwood and Ponca City are also in that pool.
The White Pool consists of Edmond Memorial, Frontier, Glenpool, Newkirk, Perkins-Tryon and Woodward.
Hayes has been a part of 15 of these Classics during his tenure at Perry and the event itself has been around for at least 19 years.
The competition begins on Thursday on three fields. Friday and Saturday games will take place on just Field 1 and Field 2.
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday, Aug. 18
Perry vs. Blackwell, 3:30 p.m. – Field 1
Woodward vs. Frontier, 3:30 p.m. – Field 2
Chickasha vs. Ponca City, 3:30 p.m. – Field 3
Glenpool vs. Newkirk, 5 p.m. – Field 1
Millwood vs. Mannford, 5 p.m. – Field 2
Perkins-Tryon vs. Edmond Memorial, 5 p.m. – Field 3
Newkirk vs. Woodward, 6:30 p.m. – Field 1
Chickasha vs. Millwood, 6:30 p.m. – Field 2
Blackwell vs. Mannford, 6:30 p.m. – Field 3
Perry vs. Ponca City, 8 p.m. – Field 1
Perkins-Tryon vs. Glenpool, 8 p.m. – Field 2
Edmond Memorial vs. Frontier, 8 p.m. – Field 3
Friday, Aug. 19
Perry vs. Millwood, 10 a.m. – Field 1
Glenpool vs. Edmond Memorial, 10 a.m. – Field 2
Chickasha vs. Mannford, 11:30 a.m. – Field 1
Perkins-Tryon vs. Woodward, 11:30 a.m. – Field 2
Newkirk vs. Frontier, 1 p.m. – Field 1
Blackwell vs. Ponca City, 1 p.m. – Field 2
Woodward vs. Edmond Memorial, 2:30 p.m. – Field 1
Glenpool vs. Frontier, 2:30 p.m. – Field 2
Perkins-Tryon vs. Newkirk, 4 p.m. – Field 1
Millwood vs. Blackwell, 4 p.m. – Field 2
Perry vs. Chickasha, 5:30 p.m. – Field 1
Mannford vs. Ponca City, 5:30 p.m. – Field 2
Saturday, Aug. 20
Perry vs. Mannford, 10 a.m. – Field 1
Millwood vs. Ponca City, 10 a.m. – Field 2
Glenpool vs. Woodward, 11:30 a.m. – Field 1
Newkirk vs. Edmond Memorial, 11:30 a.m. – Field 2
Perkins-Tryon vs. Frontier, 1 p.m. – Field 1
Chickasha vs. Blackwell, 1 p.m. – Field 2
Championship Round
Maroon Pool sixth place vs. White Pool sixth place, 2 p.m. – Field 2
Maroon Pool fifth place vs. White Pool fifth place, 2 p.m. – Field 1
Maroon Pool fourth place vs. White Pool fourth place, 3:30 p.m. – Field 2
Maroon Pool third place vs. White Pool third place, 3:30 p.m. – Field 1
Maroon Pool second place vs. White Pool second place [Third place game], 5 p.m. – Field 2
Maroon Pool first place vs. White Pool first place [Championship game], 5 p.m. – Field 1