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Posted By DOUG GRAHAM, THE WHIG-STANDARD

Both the Napanee North Key Junior Express and the North Fred Kings are trying a new approach to the season via the International Softball Congress East qualifier tournament.

With the Junior Express looking for good competition and the qualifier taking place at the familiar Napanee Fairgrounds Complex Friday through Sunday, it made sense for the team to add the event to its schedule.

“We’re not really trying to qualify (for the ISC World tournament). We’re trying to play ball,” said Joe Lewis, who along with Dave Kerr, coaches the Junior Express.

The big dates for the Express come July 9 to 11 in Cobourg when the qualifier for the Canadian championship will be contested.

Lewis said a men’s tournament this past weekend in Grafton, along with the ISC qualifier and another men’s tournament in Wyevale — near Barrie — the following weekend will help prepare his team for the junior eliminations.

“The reality is we have got to play in men’s tournaments,” said Lewis, adding it was ideal preparation to play five games in Grafton — including a 3-1 setback to the Cobourg Force, who will be Napanee’s opponent Friday in the East Qualifier opener at 7 p.m.

Four of the eight teams in the East Qualifier — Cobourg, Toronto Gators, Quebec’s Donnacona Blue Sox and St. Thomas Storm — are ranked in the top 40 by the ISC.

Napanee, North Fred, Curve Lake midgets and the Cree Nation Bears complete the lineup for the Friday to Sunday championship.

The top two teams will qualify for the 48-team ISC world tournament, Aug. 13-21 in Midland, Mich.

While allowing his team would need to play very well to advance over older and more experienced teams, Lewis said capturing one of the spots would also present a possible schedule conflict.

“It is not that we wouldn’t like to go to the (ISC worlds), but it would take a whole new complexity if we did,” Lewis said.

“We would have a conflict with the nationals (junior championship). You can’t be in two places at the same time.”

Nevertheless, Lewis said his team, led by pitchers Jordan Graham, Ian Wallwork and Kingston’s Josh Lockridge, will compete in the qualifier with the intent of winning a berth.

“We’ll play to win. But we have to play very (well) to do that,” Lewis said.

“We’ll be seeing pitchers we don’t get to see too much, which is exactly why we’re there.”

The North Fred Kings have made past ventures into the ISC, but they played at the ISC II level.

A revamping of the competition levels by ISC organizers has the North Fred team, under the coaching of Brad MacDonald and Bryan Brooks, giving the qualifier a try. The ISC will split the world tournament field once all teams have played games in the 48-team bracket.

After round-robin play, the teams will be re-ranked with the ISC I level filled first. The remaining teams go into ISC II.

“It means all the teams are going in with a chance to win the worlds,” MacDonald said.

The changes came over the winter and MacDonald admitted the fast-track move is probably a little too early for the North Fred squad, which is comprised of local players who play in the Loughborough Fastball League.

“Our goal is to work towards establishing ourselves for next season,” MacDonald said.

“It’s certainly good competition but we’re experiencing some growing pains to where we want to be.”

Jordan MacDonald and Bryan Brooks are the team’s main pitchers. Players from the Kingston Cowboys, North Fred and Sydenham are filling the team’s roster.

North Fred will face the Cree Nation Bears in its opening game Friday at 9 p.m.

The Kings are in a pool with St. Thomas, Donnacona and the Cree Nation.

Napanee plays out of the other pool with Cobourg, Toronto and the Curve Lake midgets.

Games on Saturday will be played at both the Fairgrounds and at the North Fred Complex on County Road 8.

Once pool play is complete, four teams — the top two in each pool — will play in the playoff round.

The first-place teams will square off on Sunday morning. The winner will go to the afternoon final at 1 p.m. The losing team will drop down to a second- chance game at 11 a.m.

Although there is a final, the two teams that reach that stage both qualify for the world tournament.

There is also a west qualifier going on in Innerkip — in the London area — over the weekend.

The Kitchener Rivershark Twins, the defending ISC world champions, receive an automatic berth into the 2010 event.

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Softball Napanee will be hosting the peewee eliminations, a qualifier for the Eastern Canadian championship, from June 25 to 27. The Napanee Allen Insurance Express will be in the field. … Grant’s Insurance Midget Express have their eliminations in Owen Sound the same weekend. … Next month it will be the bantam eliminations in Mitchell. Napanee Metro Express will be playing in the qualifier for the Eastern Canadians.

dgraham@thewhig.com