Diamonds are Lawrence merchants’ best friend this week; fastpitch softball diamonds, that is.

About 4,000 players, coaches and spectators are expected to be in Lawrence this week from 10 states for one of the biggest youth softball events in the country. The American Fastpitch Assn.’s “B” Girls National Tournament features 126 teams competing in three divisions: 14 and under, 16 and under, and 18 and under.

Softball players Katie Raines, 14, left, Tanya Koch, 15, center, and Nikki Schramm, 14, stretch out in front of their hotel, Baymont Inn & Suites, 740 Iowa. Fire and Ice, a 16-and-under team from Oklahoma City, is one of 126 teams playing ball and boosting the Lawrence economy this week during the American Fastpitch Assn.'s B Girls National Tournament.

All of those people need somewhere to shop, eat and sleep.

“Almost every hotel is, if not 100 percent full, then very close to it, with teams from all over the region,” said Judy Billings, senior vice president with the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The double-elimination tournament kicked off Monday afternoon at the Clinton Lake Softball Complex and lasts until Sunday.

This is the second year the AFA tournament has been in Lawrence. Last year, it brought in about $1.2 million in direct spending, actual dollars going into Lawrence businesses, Billings said.

“We expect the impact to be even bigger this year. Last year there were 76 teams competing in the tournament. This year, there are (more than) 120,” she said.

Jade Tobar, a softball fan from Pampa, Texas, is typical of those in town for the week.

“We’re staying at the Holiday Inn,” Tobar said. “We got here Sunday and we’re staying for a week. We’ve been downtown a lot. We went to Urban Outfitters and we really liked that store. We ate pizza … had some homemade ice cream and bought a lot of clothes at JC Penney.”

Profitable venture

The length of the tournament is one factor that makes it one of the most profitable events for Lawrence.

“It’s a really big deal,” Billings said, “mostly because many people come from out of town and stay in Lawrence for an entire week; they don’t just spend the weekend.”

Sarah Workman, a manager of Kieu’s, a women’s clothing store at 738 Mass., says a large part of the store’s business this week has come from softball players and their parents.

“We have a whole lot of first-time shoppers coming in, buying a lot of stuff, which is really good because we’ve been so slow. We had the sidewalk sale last week, but this week (the softball players) are our big shoppers.”

Workman didn’t have an exact amount athletes have spent in the store. “They’ve mostly just bought little things here and there. We’re having a big sale right now, so they’re really just picking up sale items.”

Players from the Mid-Missouri Ricochet, including Courtney Killday, foreground, 14, lounge in the foyer of the Hampton Inn, 2300 W. Sixth St. An estimated 1,860 softball players and their families are in Lawrence for the American Fastpitch Assn. B Girls National Tournament.

Alex Hamilton, who is a manager at Free State Brewing Co., 636 Mass., said business at the restaurant had picked up a notch.

“We’ve seen a modest increase in our business,” Hamilton said. “We’ve had several families and teams in here.”

Return engagement

It could be weeks before the chamber has specific information about the economic impact this year’s tournament will have on businesses in Lawrence, and Billings said the real impact could take years to discover.

“It’s great to have them on the KU campus. It’s great to have them come and see Lawrence, Kansas, and know what it’s all about because there’s always a chance they could become a student or their family will come back here another time.”

6News video: Softball tournament a grand slam for city Softball event comes to town (7-19-04) National tournament ups traffic (7-21-04) American Fastpitch Association

Or maybe, they’ll stay for good.

“I like this town!” Tobar said. “I said, ‘Let’s move here!’ We can’t, but maybe I’ll be back.”

Billings is hopeful the tournament will be back, too.

“We definitely want it to come back,” Billings said. “We’re now in negotiations for next year and the following year.”