BY EDWARD de la FUENTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
During a respite between games Saturday in the Slugger Fest girls softball tournament, players for the Oklahoma Mustangs sat against a wall at Rumpke Park and enjoyed the time off. For the 18-and-under team from Pryor, Okla., it was one of the few breaks in a whirlwind weekend.
The word "barnstorming" may not apply better to a group than the Mustangs. Ohio is a long way from Oklahoma, but it isn't the farthest stop on a summer itinerary that includes Missouri, Colorado and California.
"Wherever we go," said one Mustang, Tricia Merrill, "everyone thinks we talk funny because we say things like "y'all.' "
It cost the team about $5,000 to participate in Slugger Fest, according to assistant coach James Fort, but fund-raisers and an existing bank account take care of most of the team's expenses. With that taken care of, all that's left is to find a place to play, and they go to great lengths to find competition.
The Mustang players made the 12-hour trip to Cincinnati, a drive of more than 700 miles, in a 20-seat van dubbed "the Marshmallow." After completing a doubleheader at home, the team piled into the Marshmallow and endured the drive to their Springdale hotel, arriving on Wednesday morning. Fatigue wasn't a problem, according to Jade Lindly, another team member: "We just slept the entire way through."
With coaches and parents in a separate car, the Mustangs' party totaled 20 people.
"Most of the wives stayed home," Fort said. "They wouldn't have been able to stand such a long trip."
Wednesday was an off day that the team spent at Paramount's Kings Island amusement park, but afterwards the entire party's thoughts during daylight hours was on softball.
"If we're not playing, we're practicing," Mustang Dee Keim said.
Slugger Fest began on Friday with the Mustangs playing two games at Fairwick Park, one of the tournament's five sites. The Mustangs played at Rumpke on Saturday morning.
With a number of college coaches around Rumpke's six diamonds, surveying and scouting, the Mustangs were bound to receive a fair amount of attention.
"The exposure you get is really good here," Keim said. "It's a good tournament to play in, a lot of teams, a lot of competition." But with more competition out there to face, the team was scheduled to head to a tournament in Kansas City, Mo. next weekend.
For the barnstorming Mustangs, the nomadic way of life will continue through the summer.
"This," said Lindley, pointing to her uniform, "is our Friday night dress right here."
