Class AAA State Softball Tourney schedule - why so staggered?

So, here we are, just over 36 hours away from the first pitch of the 2013 Class AAA State Softball Tournament at BlueCross Spring Fling, and the field will be set tonight, once Soddy-Daisy and Smyrna decide a winner.

And whoever wins won't have long to celebrate, as they have to face Maryville at 4 o'clock on Starplex Field #1 in Murfreesboro tomorrow.

But one thing always nags me about the AAA State Tournament schedule - how come half the field starts on Tuesday evening, and the other half on Wednesday morning?

I caught a glimpse of the Class A and AA tournament schedules, and all eight teams in both events start on Tuesday. Games take place at Starplex and McKnight Park just up the hill, with Starplex hosting the remaining games afterward.

So, why can't AAA get a schedule like this, especially with the fact that Wednesday could be a total washout, and part of Thursday might see a delay, as well? Isn't it better to have all eight teams start on the same day in all three tournaments? I know that the AAA tournament is essentially the showcase event in softball at Spring Fling, but why should it be treated any different?

The parking lot at McKnight is nowhere near as big as it is at Starplex, and the fields are in closer proximity to one another, but why should that stop the TSSAA from getting everybody in all three tournaments some playing time on Tuesday?

More importantly, why are we crowning Tennessee's softball state champs at Starplex? If the baseball teams can play at high school fields in Rutherford County before deciding a champ at MTSU (although, the Division II Class AA preliminary round games are held at Wilson Central - why so far away? Eagleville has a nice field, use that!), why can't softball do the same? Most of those places have tarps, which, I'm 99.9% sure Starplex and McKnight do not.

I know the TSSAA can't control the weather, but they have the power to make sure weather doesn't mess things up too much. In 2014, all 24 teams in Division I's state softball tournaments should start play on Tuesday. At least everyone would know where they stand in case Mother Nature makes trouble.

- Michael Hackney