Should Softball be classified?

[All State Baseball]

We've heard people stat that baseball and softball should be classified like football. Basketball, Baseball, Softball and soccer are all district/region, football is the only KHSAA sport that is classified.

 

Some of these districts/regions are so lopsided it's not even funny.

 

Scott County usually controls that district and region that they are in.

 

Boyle County and Pulaski are usually the ones fighting to go to state....

 

Estill County has yet to lose a district championship game and they've been in the 56th district since 2006 and they've won the 14th region championship every year except for 3 times.

 

Johnson Central is usually the team to beat in the 15th region as well as East Carter is the 16th

 

 

So my question is, should KHSAA classify softball so it would even up the odds or keep it as lopsided as it is?

[bulldog77]

EVERY sport should be classified.

[Jumper_Dad]

If so, I'd only go to two classes for Softball and Baseball.

[Nathaniel Bryan]

The sports that are classed have been classed for a long time. And they are only one day a week for the most part (Saturdays for cross country meets and track meets, Fridays for football). Not a lot of late nights during the weekday school week.

 

Some things won't change. In the 5th Region, North Hardin and John Hardin would still have to go through Central Hardin (a district and region dynasty thay shows no signs of slowing down).

 

E'town would get an easier ride (getting out of a district and region with Mulberry Street neighbor Central Hardin), but doubt they'd like going to Hart, Nelson or LaRue better or having to put up with Louisville traffic).

 

And poor Fort Knox, there is no one close to play classwise. So you might get more competive games, but it will cost you time, gas and ticket sales.

 

The KHSAA just posted the state tournament financial recap. Softball got outdrawn by track by a wide margin and blown out of the water by baseball (even though softball had more games, more teams alive after Day 1 and cheaper tickets).

 

So you're not making money and you want to make it even more expensive in a day and age of cutbacks? Good luck getting that pushed through.

[Knuckle]

Yes. Should absolutely be classified. Why is Kentucky one of only like three state in the entire country that plays high school softball that isn’t classified? Every state bordering us has classifications for softball. From an equality stand point doesn’t seem to far that a school with say 100 students has to compete with a school say 2,500 students for a state championship.

[bulldog77]

The sports that are classed have been classed for a long time. And they are only one day a week for the most part (Saturdays for cross country meets and track meets, Fridays for football). Not a lot of late nights during the weekday school week.

 

Some things won't change. In the 5th Region, North Hardin and John Hardin would still have to go through Central Hardin (a district and region dynasty thay shows no signs of slowing down).

 

E'town would get an easier ride (getting out of a district and region with Mulberry Street neighbor Central Hardin), but doubt they'd like going to Hart, Nelson or LaRue better or having to put up with Louisville traffic).

 

And poor Fort Knox, there is no one close to play classwise. So you might get more competive games, but it will cost you time, gas and ticket sales.

 

The KHSAA just posted the state tournament financial recap. Softball got outdrawn by track by a wide margin and blown out of the water by baseball (even though softball had more games, more teams alive after Day 1 and cheaper tickets).

 

So you're not making money and you want to make it even more expensive in a day and age of cutbacks? Good luck getting that pushed through.

 

 

No one has ever suggested that classifying a sport should restrict who a team can play. It only truly matters come district and statewide play-off games. That could be as few as 3 to 4 total games or more depending on performance. Most programs that I know play at least that many games outside their immediate region every year. A few don't, I get that, but for the common good of the sport, and competition among teams, classification just simply makes more sense. The excuse that no money will be made? Really? How much does softball produce now? High school athletics, for the most part, have not been, are not now and likely never will be, a profit making venture. Interscholastic sports is an educational tool, not a minicamp for college scholarships, nor a showcase for future professional stars. High school softball should be classified, just like every other sport in this state.

[maysvilleky]

There's already an All A tournament and soon to be a All AA tournament played during the year. I would think that should be good enough and the State Tournament have an overall class winner.

[ChickenWyngz]

I can see arguments both ways, but if you are going to classify softball, baseball, etc, you have to limit the classes. You do not want to end with 6 champions from watered down classes.

[wilyums]

I don't think they would be watered down. I just think that a small school can't compete year after year on the same level as the super school. We all know that some of the larger schools have jv teams that could beat the better small schools. The day of a small school even getting out of their region is almost over. Just say you have a perfect storm in the first region. The small school as an example lets say Carlisle County in the first region beats everyone in the regional tournament... They would then have to beat the likes of Madisonville, Christian County, Davies County, and the Warren County teams just to get a chance to go to state. I know good teams should play the best competition but just like in baseball small schools will run out of bullets. I think classifying would have made much more sense than they route they took. A little consideration for all schools and not just the schools with unlimited resources and players. But then again it's hard to put the word sense in the same sentence with KHSAA.

[wilyums]

Also just to add to my last post. The All A isn't the same as it once was. It's almost like someone wants to keep it going to just keep the small schools from complaining.

[Knuckle]

I still don’t know how from a legal standpoint that some sports are classified in KY and others aren’t. Especially when all but 3 states in the country that play Fastpitch are classified.