FCA TOURNEY: 29th edition of Armstrong Memorial tourney opens Wednesday
By TIM GAYLE
The 29th annual FCA Jason Armstrong Memorial Baseball Tournament features some quality baseball teams in one of the best regular-season tournaments in the state, but the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which also holds a banquet later in the season for the participants, does so much more than offer a venue for high school baseball teams to compete, LAMP coach Frank Parsons noted.
“It’s a great opportunity to play schools from other parts of the state, but at the same time to kind of realize what brings us together, a desire to live a Christian life and share hope and good news with others,” Parsons said. “It’s neat that it’s done around baseball, to get people to look at their lives and see where they are in their walk with God. Public school or private school, we want these young men to be outstanding young men and that’s part of FCA, to grow these men up the right way, with integrity and values and character and things that matter in life.”
The tournament, started by former Trinity coach Ken Whittle in 1994 with the idea of honoring the memory of former Trinity star Jason Armstrong, began as a tournament for the Capital City Conference schools and some of their River Region neighbors, but now extends to all parts of the state where Dothan’s Providence Christian, Florence’s Wilson High and Crenshaw County’s Luverne High are regular participants.
“Obviously, it’s a big part of Trinity with Jason,” Trinity coach Jarrod Cook said. “It means a lot to our community and his family with Coach (Ken) Whittle coaching him for the years he did. It’s big for us, plus we also get to go play quality teams. We get to play Providence Christian, Chilton County’s a good team and we get to play Pike Road. For us, it’s seeing some different teams that maybe we don’t normally see and find out where we are.”
St. James, Alabama Christian, Trinity, Catholic and Montgomery Academy schedule the Jason Armstrong Tournament as part of their annual schedule in an effort to face larger programs and test their players in different roles.
“We’re still trying to find guys that are going to produce in certain situations,” Cook said, “whether that’s defensively or offensively. Pitching wise, we’ll still working through some bullpen guys that need to get out there, so it’ll be a really good opportunity for them to get some innings.”
The area’s other schools, such as LAMP, Carver, Jeff Davis and Robert E. Lee, will participate in the tournament for the same reasons.
“We’ll try players in different positions, we’ll try different batting lineups, we’ll try a different rotation with our bullpen,” Parsons said. “These are teams not in our area, so you get a chance to let guys do different things and they get excited about it.”
The proceeds from the tournament benefit local high school athletes with scholarships to FCA Camp during the summer.
“Over 1,000 (students) have gone to FCA camp thanks to this tournament,” stated state FCA director John Gibbons. “The money raised from this week will help with several young people who may not have come to know the Lord.”
Tournament passes and single game tickets are available at the gate at both Paterson and Riverwalk this week. There is also availability for sponsors for the tournament. Visit the FCA website (www.alabamafca.org) for information.
29TH ANNUAL JASON ARMSTRONG
MEMORIAL BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
March 2-8
Wednesday schedule
Riverwalk Stadium
2 p.m.: Jeff Davis vs. G.W. Carver
4 p.m.: Elmore County vs. Montgomery Academy
6 p.m.: Greenville vs. Robert E. Lee
Paterson Field
4 p.m.: Tallassee vs. Catholic
6 p.m.: Luverne vs. LAMP
Thursday schedule
Riverwalk Stadium
2 p.m.: Robert E. Lee vs. Brew Tech
4 p.m.: Tallassee vs. Alabama Christian Academy
6 p.m.: Providence Christian vs. Trinity
Paterson Field
4 p.m.: Prattville Christian Academy vs. Straughn
6 p.m.: Wilson vs. St. James
Friday schedule
Riverwalk Stadium
11 a.m.: Providence Christian vs. Wilson
2 p.m.: Wilson vs. Catholic
4 p.m.: Park Crossing vs. Montgomery Academy
6 p.m.: Chilton County vs. Alabama Christian Academy
Paterson Field
2 p.m.: Chilton County vs. Trinity
4 p.m.: Providence Christian vs. Prattville Christian
6 p.m.: Elmore County vs. Luverne
Saturday schedule
Riverwalk Stadium
10 a.m.: Prattville Christian vs. Brew Tech
12 p.m.: Catholic vs. LAMP
2 p.m.: Straughn vs. St. James
Paterson Field
10 a.m.: Alabama Christian vs. Wilson
12 p.m.: Park Crossing vs. Jeff Davis
Monday, March 7
Riverwalk Stadium
4 p.m.: Pike Road vs. Trinity
6 p.m.: Luverne vs. St. James
Paterson Field
4 p.m.: Greenville vs. Montgomery Academy
6 p.m.: LAMP vs. Brew Tech
Tuesday, March 8
Riverwalk Stadium
4 p.m.: Elmore County vs. Trinity
6 p.m.: Pike Road vs. St. James
Paterson Field
4 p.m.: Catholic vs. Alabama Christian Academy