It was a beautifully sunny day at the Legends Way quartet of fields in Clermont, Fla. on Thursday as action continued at THE Spring Games (TSG) held in Central Florida.

The temps were in the 60’s but there were wind gusts in the mid-20 mph range which made it an adventure for outfielders tracking high fly balls.

THE Spring Games officially started last Friday, Feb. 28^th and finishes three weeks from tomorrow, on Friday, March 28. It will be—with its month-long production of collegiate softball covering Div’s 2 and 3, NAIA and JC—the “biggest softball event in softball.”

According to THE Spring Games CEO Alison Stange, there are more than 1,200 games being played at seven complexes in Central Florida throughout most of March.

“We have a full-time staff of five,” Strange explained, “with close to 100 people helping out and we’re already planning for next year.”

She’s not kidding when she says that.

“We have about a 90-percent return rate,” the leader says, “and there are already 25 college teams that are locked in for next year.”

Like a well-orchestrated play, the games on Thursday went off as scheduled… which isn’t always the case.

“Almost every day of THE Games,” the event producer continues, “we have to improvise and set up games because some team or teams can’t make it.”

That can be due to a variety of factors, from missed plain flights to weather hazards… like in Minnesota, where two teams have suffered travel delays because of a Midwestern blizzard. Strange had to improvise and assemble new match-ups for the new day without much advanced notice.

“I have a team that is delayed and doesn’t get in until tomorrow,” Strange said of one of the Midwest delays.

“It’s funny how blizzards in Minnesota impact us in Florida!”

Yesterday. there was a lightning delay—not a rarity in Florida during the spring season—and all teams had to clear the fields temporarily. Over the upcoming weekend, there is a chance of rain which could force some more on-the-spot improvisations.

“We typically have 2 ½ rain days each year, so we have to be ready,” the event lead continues.

THE Springs Games have become a family affair and it keeps the Strange family busy, if not working together.

Three times in two hour’s time, seven-year-old James Strange, the oldest of Alison’s three boys (the younger ones, for what it’s worth, are ages five and three) visits Mom on the second floor of the Media Tower at Legends Way.

The event CEO, who has home-schooled her children, patiently encourages him to go back to work in the concession stand and proudly adds that her 17-year-old daughter, Phoenix, is also “involved as a Site Supervisor at THE Spring Games.”

Working on the second level of the Media Tower, located in the center of the four fields at Legends Way, you can hear the cheering from below on the complex as Strange patiently talks to a college coach explaining that his upcoming opponent is stuck at home because of the aforementioned weather issues.

The coaching voice on the phone is accommodating and settles for a matchup with a quality team, even though it’ll be played at another complex.

Two others sit next to Strange at her table and quietly input scores and data from just completed games.

In the quiet above the chaotic noise from below, the CEO and staff prepare for the next few days. Although the skies are bright blue without clouds on this Thursday afternoon, rain is expected over the weekend, so the experienced staff readies itself to make changes once again with less than a day’s notice.

On this day, though, it isn’t wet weather or lighting that’s impacting play… it’s the wind.

Walking into the site earlier today, you could see the event banners were flapping and blowing in the mid-20 mph gusts.

Today was Day 7 of the 2025 event and the softball was impressive, the crowds large and vocal and the action fluid and well-played.

[On a totally unrelated and self-absorbed personal note, this is the 12^th event in a row that I’ve attended in person where I’ve failed to put on sunblock the first day and, consequentially, have the facial color of a blushing lobster.]

Today, from the initial games that started at 9 am to the later contests at 6:30 pm, we got to see some fun softball at Legends Way. There was great pitching, strong hitting and even the defense was up a notch—especially in the grass where several outfielders made impressive diving catches, even with the unpredictable flight of balls hit into the wind.

One leaping catch was made by Lynn (Fla.) University leftfielder Aun’Yale
Howard to end a close 3-2 win for her team from Boca Raton, Fla.

Another dive that was a legitimate horizontal layout-for-the-ball catch was made by Ashland’s Ashley Veldheer who came up big in her team’s 9-3 win against the Columbia (St. Paul, Minn.) Golden Bears.

There were notable pitching performances, for sure, including that of Lynn hurler Gabriella Lindsey, who helped her team beat Clarion (Pa.) by a 3-2 score. The junior right-hander had seven strikeouts in the complete game victory thanks to her combo of a screwball curve and a change-up that left several opposing players waving at air (literally).

Here’s a photo taken by her proud father, Mike, after the win:

But doing game recaps and highlighting impressive performances isn’t why I am at THE Spring Games–although I did enjoy watching fun state versus state matchups such as West Virginia Wesleyan taking on the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs and a Midwest showdown featuring Ashland (Ohio) defeating Concordia (Wisc.).

The point in being in the Sunshine State for more than a week for me is to see the games from the 10,000-foot level—who plays well, yes, but also to get a sense of what these games mean to these competitors.

There doesn’t appear to be the stress or pressure you might feel at a D1 game, yet the devotion and passion on the field is certainly comparable.

THE Spring Games—while featuring great on-field softball—is also important in another way: it is the first time since the Christmas holiday break that many college student-athletes get to be reunited with their families.

And there’s another key strength to playing in Central Florida this time of year—facing strong competition, the teams involved exit the tournament more experienced and prepared for the rest of the softball season… stats prove that those who play at THE Spring Games have better records progressing through their seasons.

Why?

Because the stiff competition readies most teams for the games coming up in April and beyond in conference and post-season play.

That isn’t the immediate concern of Strange, however, as she gets off the phone after talking with a college head coach.

“It’s ‘Redemption Day’ for Ashland University,” she says of the school that played earlier on Thursday. “They will now play Grand Valley State because of the delay caused by the blizzard.”

This is probably the 10^th rescheduled game set up by Strange in the last 24 hours. The trickle-down impact of one team not showing up is normally a mess, but the CEO has this improvisational act down pat.

Still, some accomplishments are more noteworthy than others.

“I don’t say this often or too much,” she concludes, referring to another successful schedule change completed on Thursday for Friday play…

“… But I’m proud of that one.”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball