Lecompte, Charlie

When I first saw Charlie LeCompte run out to left field, I quickly noticed two things—he looked like an athlete and he was running out there with a cigarette in hand! He laid the cigarette in the outfield and sometimes would cup his hands around it for a quick hit or two in between pitches, or he would keep it lit and rest that cigarette on the foul side of the fence.

Then, I saw him make a Willie Mays’ catch over his shoulder and later hit one out of Lexington’s Shillito Park up on the hill, and I quickly thought—give me one of those Marlboro’s or Camel’s or whatever he was smoking—and, I don’t even smoke!

I’m not sure if Charlie started smoking at age 14, but he did begin his softball career with pickup teams, and shortly after, he played with Shelby Co. AC’s from 1974-1979. He learned from the best in that era, Jimmy Kinser, “Bird” Ritter, and Scott Jones. The latter two have been inducted into the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame.

After LeCompte and his teammates terrorized the Shelby County region winning everything in sight, he moved with Scott Jones to ASA Open ball and joined the #1 team in the Bluegrass--Kentucky Sporting Goods. The downtown Lexington-based sporting goods club romped through their Open competition in the state, and in 1982 with Kentucky Sporting Goods, Charlie began making a name for himself as the Home Run King in the coveted Thoroughbred Classic in Lexington.

Charlie did it again, this time in record fashion at the 1988 Thoroughbred, smashing 15 dingers for California Waterbeds which, at the time, was a Thoroughbred home run record. That California Waterbeds’ team went on to win the 1988 Midwest Regional ASA Open Championship.

In 1989, Charlie won the Thoroughbred once again, this time with Buffalo & Dad’s who went on to win the Kentucky ASA “A” State title later that season in Owensboro, Kentucky.

From the ’80s to the ’90s, it was no different. “Mr. Consistent” hit home runs and lots of them. In a three-tournament stretch for Jim Dandy’s in 1990, LeCompte drilled 7, 7, and 9 homers at three of Kentucky’s most infamous softball tournaments—the H&W Classic in Campbellsville, the Lake Cumberland Classic in Monticello, and the L.I.T. in Louisville.

Hitting the long ball and a lifetime batting average pushing the .700 mark are just a couple of gifts that Charlie blessed his teams with. He was the ideal teammate from an encouraging standpoint, and he never had a cross word to say about anyone.

State dominance was just the beginning for Mr. LeCompte as he pushed his winning ways to the national front. In 1991, he was Major All-American for Wildcat Fence who ended the year ranked 14th in the country after finishing 4th in that Major championship.

1992 and 1993 were the New Construction years coming in 2nd in the Majors and in 1995 Charlie played for National Major victors, Riverside Paving.

Finally, after 21 years of experience, he turned 35 and won the 35 & Over Kentucky State Title with B-Dry.