Exposed: Softball teams play to be seen

By Robert Carter

The North Jefferson News




VESTAVIA HILLS — As teenage girls dashed around the nine diamonds of the Liberty Park Softball Complex last weekend, they kept their eyes not only on the action, but the various college coaches milling about.

It’s a cacophony of clanging aluminum bats and cheering parents. And unlike the high school regional playoffs held at the same complex a month ago, this “tournament” doesn’t even have trophies. It exists as a place for college coaches and scouts to see as much prep and junior college softball talent as possible in one place.

In a word, exposure.

It’s even part of the name.

The Southeastern Exposure event is a place to see and be seen. More than 70 “travel-ball” teams from all over the Deep South, plus more from Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, gathered to show off their talent in hopes of landing a scholarship on a top team.

It’s an indication of how travel-ball has influenced the game at the high school level and below. Players who are serious about the sport have gravitated to this summer (and usually autumn, too) competition in droves. Look at any top high school team — especially the successful programs found in our area — and virtually all of the starters play the game almost year ‘round.

The Jersey Tide team is no exception. The squad features players from Corner, Mortimer Jordan, Fultondale and Gardendale, as well as nearby Pleasant Grove. Their coaches have major college experience, including one who just came off Alabama’s team that played in the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

(The rest of Mortimer Jordan’s starters play on Birmingham Vipers teams. They skipped the Southeastern to play in Tallahassee, Fla.)

It’s not an inexpensive proposition. There are uniforms, travel costs, entry fees and tickets. Nearly a dozen high-end motor homes parked on site gave testament to the commitment that some families make. Or as one Fultondale parent who asked to remain unnamed said, “It ain’t cheap. But it’s worth it.”

For the top teams, the competition in travel ball will often meet or surpass that seen at even the state tournament level of high school play. It has become a necessary part of the routine, just like the best bats and gloves.

Some critics of these events refer to them as “cattle calls.”

But for these players and their loyal parents, just one thing matters.

Exposure.