Another historical Corbin Tournament is in the books – now over 90 years old

July 27, 2021 Cueball

The descendants of Bob and Gwen Rice. (Click to enlarge).

by Jolene Roitman, special to Sumner Newscow — The Corbin fast pitch ball tournament wrapped up last Thursday with Mayfield coming out on top for the championship. Another year of a great tournament that has lasted over 90 years is in the books. The highlight of the tournament included a bench dedication in honor of Gwen Rice, the matriarch of the Rice clan.

Gwen Rice

The Enchies came in second. Other teams in the round-robin bracket included The Dore, Anthony, and Corbin. There were some excellent games played all week mixing the older players with fresh new players full of energy. Byron White, the oldest pitcher to play, showed he could go a couple of innings to help out the Corbin boys.

A slow-pitch tournament was played the Friday and Saturday before the fastpitch with Jordyn Rice, Blake Rice, and Corbin Rice in charge. This is a fun tournament for all ages. With eight teams playing, the last two teams playing were rained out, so the co-championship was awarded to the Diamond Dandies and the Bad news Beerz.

There were 1560 hamburgers sold during the week-long Corbin Tournament as Matt Metcalf can attest.

The cook shack on Saturday was manned by Lexie Rice and her friends from Emporia, who delighted in the small town of Corbin.. Cooks during the fastpitch were Brent Rice, Cody White, Mike Clark, Dick Cochran, and Matt Metcalf who proudly displayed the total burgers sold in seven days as 1,580. Umpires for the week were Byron White, David Troutman and Brian Page.

The first night a bench dedication in honor of Gwen Rice, the matriarch of the Rice clan, was presented by Leslie Ricewithover 50 Rice family members clamoring together for a family picture. Gwen never missed many games for over 70 years as she rooted for her Corbin teams. At least seven Rice’s played a little on the team.

There was Blake Rice, manager, Greg Yunker, Corbin Rice, Joe Shoffner, Grey Hatfield, Mason and Braxton (Margaret’s grandsons one night) and Andrew Pauly (Logan Rice’s husband).. and a cousin, Jalen Risley… Bob Rice would have been proud of that group and would encourage them to practice up… The Corbin Methodists handed out icy pop and water the first night, and beautiful weather was enjoyed all week long.. Tournament directors were Rick Roitman and Bill Rice with a lot of help from the whole family… Also, the field would not have been ready to play on without some services from Calvin Collazo, Ken Whaley, Jerry Nimitz, and Scott Thompson… Another Corbin tournament in the books.

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This Corbin team sometime in 1950s. Those pictured included: (back row) Charlie Kern, Marvin Wyckoff, Melvin Mirt, Calvin Blue, Bob Rice. (Front Row) Bill Tackett, Lloyd Stover, Marion Watts, Ralph Jordan, and Eldon Gracy. (Click to enlarge).

The history of the tournament

In the 1930s, Corbin Softball got off to a start with the development of a ballfield west of the elevator. This was not an ideal location as the long hit balls bounced off the elevator and were lost. In the 1940s after WWII, teams reorganized and a new location was chosen. Jerie Murphy donated land at the south end of town.

A backstop was put up and much later, lights were added. An old wooden scoreboard stood downfield until 2009 when a scoreboard was erected in honor of Bob and Scott Rice, former tournament directors. A little cook shack was built in the early days to fry the hamburgers. Cold bottles of pop were sold out of a horse tank in front with big chunks of ice brought in from the ice plant in Caldwell. Mabel Segraves and Margie Watts were two of the earliest cooks. Years later, men of the area took bragging rights as hamburger chefs. Rusty Watts, long-time Corbin guy, kept the workers in order. A new concession stand was built in 1977 by the men of Corbin.

This picture is of a former Corbin team. If you have any information on this team send it to sumnernewscow@gmail.com.

Corbin had some outstanding ball teams throughout the years. Many young men got their first experience playing ball with some experienced players. To name a few oldies: LaRue Fowler, Harry Gerberding, Pud Davidson, Merle Tackett, Frankie, and Charlie Kern, Red Stonehocker, Bob Rice, Jack Whaley, Marvin Wyckoff, Carl and Dick Segraves, Maynard Shobe, Deb Cox, Marion Watts, Eldon Gracy, Ralph Jordan, Ervin Urban, Skeet Wiggins, Lloyd Stover and Buck, and Henry Volavka.

Some of these men were from surrounding teams like Caldwell, Bluff City, and Wellington. And then later players like Gary, Danny and Rusty Ginn, Clark and Roger Rains, Marshall Love, Dickie, and Jack Crumbliss, Mick Eckerman, Ivan Wiley, Shorty Schmidt, Walter Jayroe, Rudy Dvorak, Bill Norris, Bill, and Brent Rice, Clint and Albert Whaley, Greg Hill, Greg Fitch, Dennis Turek and the list goes on.

Bob Rice was tournament director for many years until his death in 1994. His family has kept the games going throughout the years. Gwen Rice, patriarch of the crew was quoted a few years ago as saying that it does her heart good to know these grandkids jump in to help keep the tradition going and how proud Grandpa Bob would be. Mrs. Rice passed away in January and a bench will be dedicated in her honor at the place she sat watching games for over 75 years.

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Here are a few other pictures from last week’s Corbin Tournament.