A Fine Day for Softball at the Spectacular Botetourt Sports Complex

Tennessee and Longwood play in a wonderful setting.

Vols' All-American pitcher Ellen Renfroe lets one go.

Vols' Lauren Gibson smacks a single.

James Madison players put their backpacks on the fence.

This old Tennessee fan covered up against a light rain.

Little girls and Sno-Cones mix well and leave residue.

The food was good; the prices were astonishing!

Vols and Lancers congratulate each other after a 4-0 Tennessee victory.

My first look at the new Botetourt Complex today left me with a dropped jaw and some wide eyes. The people in Botetourt have out Salemed Salem with this new softball facility that sits amid a huge and picturesque pasture that contains a variety of athletic venues.

The occasion today was some kind of military appreciation softball tournament that had a bunch of Virginia teams and nationally ranked Tennessee playing four games each. Tennessee, which came into the exhibitions with a Top 10 reputation, actually lost in its third game, 3-2 to James Madison, but it scored three other shutouts, one of them 11-0 against Virginia Tech.

I have, in recent years, become quite a fan of Tennessee's softball teams, so it was nice to sit in a good crowd of Vol fans today and listen to Rocky Top. I'm told the place was overflowing and rocking Saturday when Tech and Tennessee played.

Not only is this one of the prettiest venues you'll ever see a game in (rivaling Salem's Class A professional baseball stadium for view and being superior to Salem,s softball facility), but you can eat good food and you can afford it. A barbecue sandwich and Coke were $3.50. That's less than the ice in the soft drink I had at the University of Virginia's game in Charlottesville yesterday cost. Hotdogs were $1.50. So were corndogs. Popcorn was 50 cents. A freezepop was a quarter. Those prices are frozen back in my high school days.

Botetourt County, you have my hearty and enthusiastic applause for all of this. Thank you.