Championship softball team managers have a lot in common with organizers of the tournaments they want to win.
Managers of the men's and women's champions of the 2018 Busch Softball Classic -- Empire of Lafayette, La., and Smash It Sports of Lorton, Va., respectively -- said they hope for simplicity and ease of directions when they arrive at tournaments. They said they get exactly what they want at the Busch Classic, put on for the 39th consecutive year in the Little Rock metropolitan area by Clint Albright.
"The director here is awesome," Smash It Sports Manager Katherine Fricke said. "He communicates so well."
In Sunday's finals at Sherwood Sports Complex near Sylvan Hills High, winners of the men's and women's divisions both overcame early losses in the double-elimination event to post consecutive victories over their foes in the winners' bracket.
Smash It Sports defeated Bryant Express of Bryant, 33-20 and 16-4, and Empire defeated Vivid of Frisco, Texas, 20-17 and 29-21.
Fricke said the trick to keeping a team and a tournament in order is much the same. Her team, like many at the upper levels of softball, is made up of players from several states. She said her job is to make matters of travel as simple and easy as possible for her players.
"We're from all over," Fricke said. "We have players from Texas, Florida, Alabama, just from all over, but our players make it easy for me. It's never complicated with them. They listen."
"There is a correlation between managing a team and running a tournament," Albright said. "Successful managers do a lot with logistics and getting things organized so teams can concentrate on playing softball, and tournament directors help with all that so the teams can just have a good time and not have to worry about a lot of things."
Smash It Sports extra hitter Valisha Fincher, a softball coach and teacher from Birmingham, Ala., said Fricke's effort is appreciated.
"Katherine is amazing with everything she does," Fincher said.
Fincher, inducted in 2017 to the West Alabama Athletics Hall of Fame, was named the tournament's MVP.
"This is new, but it's amazing," Fincher said as she held the plaque just handed to her by Albright. "I was proud of myself for what I brought to the table this weekend."
Albright said the key to softball management, at the team and tournament level, is to eliminate unnecessary concerns for players.
"It all starts with organization," Albright said. "If players know what time they're supposed to be there, what time they're going to hit, what uniform to wear. If all those decisions are made, then your mind can be clear to focus on your play."
Bryant Manager Dara Tyler of Tulsa was disappointed by her team's finals loss.
"It's just part of it," she said. "We play the toughest competition in the country every time we play, so this is part of it. We didn't play our best softball today, but Smash It played incredible. They outplayed us, and they deserved to win the championship."
Empire managed an upset in its first trip to Arkansas. The team usually plays at softball's lower levels, and all of its players live within easy driving distance of Lafayette, La. Its lead sponsor is a Cajun restaurant in Lafayette.
"To make it to the championship game and beat them twice was really something," Empire Manager Dustin Picard said. "We definitely overachieved."
Sports on 07/09/2018