Which sanction ball(nsa/asa/ussa) is most teams playing in Illinois/Indiana area. And which level (nsa/asa/usssa) do you feel has the best competition.
In Tennessee USFA is king. Followed by USGF and USSSA. USFA in TN will pull top level teams from 3-5 states away, of coarse depending on the venue. USGF does good pulling more local teams ( 100-150 miles apart ).
We usually play 4-5 ASA tournaments each season, ( few hours away ) and I still haven't figured out what all the hype about ASA is. Because if the ASA teams are traveling 3-5-7 hours to come play I'd think they would be very tough. But the teams in USFA to me have better talent and better coaching.
We are very lucky to have a new million $$ complex an hour away. It has 17 fields ( covers over 100 acres ), 5 very nice concession stands ( 2 with large covered pavilions ), gift shop, plasma tv's so the dads can keep up with other sports , and 3-4 nice restaurants that surround the complex within walking distance. It has really done it's job to pull good talent into TN.