When spring break 2020 turned into summer break as a result of COVID-19, Midwest Sports Productions (MSP), which produces softball events for more than 9,000 teams annually, heard the voices of seniors across the state of Kansas who did not get closure on one of the biggest chapters of their lives.
One of the loudest voices was softball player Bella Grivat, a 2020 graduate of Piper High School in Kansas City, Kansas, who reached out to MSP to see if the organization would consider giving area softball players a chance to get back to the field one last time as a team, an idea that has now grown into a statewide initiative headed MSP
“As you all know we had our 2020 season taken away from us and we were pretty bummed about that,” said Grivat, “so I decided to email MSP about it hoping they would email us back and they did.”
The plan, dubbed the “One Last Game” senior send-off, was initiated and will take place today (Wednesday, June 24). The single 7-inning game tournament will allow 32 high school teams from across the state of Kansas an opportunity to say “good-bye” to high school sports the right way and the chance to play alongside their teammates one last time before they head different directions.
“We know that this whole situation has not been fair and when we saw how many seniors would not be able to make those final memories, we knew we had to do something,” said Jeremy McDowell, chief executive officer and founder of MSP.
“We’re pulling out all the stops to make sure that these players get the chance to say goodbye to the sport they love but also to their teammates that they’ve been with throughout high school.”
MSP has partnered with Fiorella’s, owned by Jack Stack Barbecue, to provide a ceremony for all senior participants to thank them for their commitment to grow the game. The ceremony will act as a replacement to senior banquets that the Class of 2020 had not received. All players and coaches will receive free meals and parents will have the opportunity to purchase tickets.
Game 1 begins at 9 a.m. for 16 of the participating teams, followed by their Senior Banquet at 11:15 a.m. The remaining teams will play their final game at 11:45 a.m. with their banquet taking place at 2 p.m.
All games will take place at Blue Valley Sports Complex, one of the top athletic complexes in the Kansas City Metro area. BVRC is donating the usage of their facility for this celebration event.
List of teams competing
- Blue Valley……………………Stilwell, KS
- Blue Valley North…………….Overland Park, KS
- Blue Valley Northwest………..Overland Park, KS
- Blue Valley Southwest………..Overland Park, KS
- Blue Valley West………………Overland Park, KS
- Gardner Edgerton……………..Gardner, KS
- Olathe East……………………Olathe, KS
- Olathe North………………….Olathe, KS
- Olathe South………………….Olathe, KS
- Olathe West…………………..Olathe, KS
- Shawnee Mission North………Overland Park, KS
- Spring Hill……………………Spring Hill, KS
- St. James Academy……………Lenexa, KS
- Eudora…………………………Eudora, KS
- Tonganoxie……………………Tonganoxie, KS
- Piper…………………………..Kansas City, KS
- Jayhawk-Linn…………………Mound City, KS
- Louisburg High School……….Louisburg, KS
- Paola………………………….Paola, KS
- Bonner Springs….Bonner Springs, KS
- Holton…………………………Holton, KS
- Flint Hills……………………..Rosalia, KS
- Wellsville High School……….Wellsville, KS
- El Dorado High School……….El Dorado, KS
- Royal Valley High School…….Hoyt, KS
- Ark City………………………Arkansas City, KS
- De Soto……………………….De Soto, KS
- McLouth……………………..McLouth, KS
- Hayden High School…………Topeka, KS