D1 Fall Showcase

D1 Fall Showcase takes over Lou Berliner Sports Park on Saturday, October 17, and runs through Sunday, October 18. It's a youth fastpitch softball showcase tournament, so you'll find youth teams from across the region coming through Columbus to play over the weekend.

If you're not familiar with the format, a showcase is a bit different from a standard league game. The focus is on the players getting their skills in front of scouts and college coaches, so it's as much about who's watching from the bleachers as what's happening on the dirt. It's fastpitch softball, not slow-pitch, so the game moves quickly and the pitching is a lot more aggressive than what you'd see at a casual park game.

The action is centered at Lou Berliner Sports Park, located at 325 Greenlawn Ave. in Columbus. It's a dedicated sports complex with multiple fields, which is why it can handle a tournament like this—games are running across the park throughout the day, so you can hop from one field to another and catch a few different matchups without having to move your car. It's the kind of weekend where the park stays busy from the first pitch on Saturday morning through the final games on Sunday.

Since it's a youth tournament, it's a family affair. You'll see teams traveling in with their families, and the atmosphere around the fields is usually pretty high-energy. If you've got a kid playing or you're just interested in youth fastpitch, it's a good spot to spend a couple of days watching some competitive softball. The tournament runs Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18, at Lou Berliner Sports Park, 325 Greenlawn Ave., Columbus, OH 43223.