Grand Park Details Busy Baseball Lineup
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGrand Park Sports Campus in Westfield estimates baseball events this summer will draw more than 2,500 teams and 100,000 visitors. The tournaments are expected to attract teams from around 10 states.
March 18, 2015
News Release
Westfield, Ind. — The baseball fields at Grand Park Sports Campus are packed with activity for 2015. Currently, there are over 50 events scheduled, which are projected to attract more than 2,500 teams and 100,000 visitors to Grand Park.
“The baseball side of Grand Park welcomed roughly 1,000 teams throughout the first year of operations. It's exciting to see that number more than double in the second year of operations,” said Westfield Mayor Andy Cook.
The first baseball tournament is the Play the Turf on March 27-29 featuring 20 teams and more than 800 visitors. Teams playing in the tournament are from three states: Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Below is a list of highlights of the largest baseball tournament weekends for 2015. The full calendar can be viewed online at http://www.grandpark.org/page/show/1112662-full-gp-calendar.
2015 Baseball Tournament Highlights:
May 8-10 Weekend
Events: TBS Crossroads Qualifier, LIDS Dreams Spring Invite, Grand Valley Conference of DII Collegiate Athletics and North Central Conference Baseball and Softball Tournaments
Total teams: 90
Est. participants: 1080
Est. spectators: 2700
Est. park visits over the 3 days: 3781
The weekend of May 8 – 10, Bullpen Tournaments will be hosting a number of baseball/softball events at both the amateur, high school, and collegiate levels of competition. On the junior side of the complex, Bullpen will host the TBS Crossroads Qualifier – a travel baseball tournament for the 9u – 14u age groups. The winner of each of these age groups earns a bid to participate at the East Cobb National Championship in Georgia. In addition to the travel tournament, Westfield Youth Sports (WYSI) will be playing in their fourth weekend of league competition. On the softball fields, Bullpen Tournaments will host their very first travel softball tournament. The LIDS Dreams Spring Invite will hold competitions at the 8u, 10u, 12u and 14u age brackets.
On the High School side of Grand Park, Bullpen Tournaments is pleased to welcome the Great Lakes Valley Conference of DII Collegiate Athletics. The GLVC will be hosting their Conference Baseball Tournament over the May 8-10 weekend and are anxiously anticipating crowds nearing 200 spectators per game.
Similarly, Bullpen is pleased to be hosting the North Central Conference Baseball and Softball Tournaments over the May 8 weekend. Indiana High Schools that will be represented this weekend include Anderson, Harrison (West Lafayette), Huntington North, Kokomo, Lafayette Jeff, Logansport Community, Marion, McCutheon, Muncie Central and Richmond.
June 11 – 14 Weekend
Events: Midwest National Championships Qualifier, ASA State Games and Freedom Classic
Total teams: 216
Est. participants: 2592
Est. spectators: 6480
Est. park visits over the 3 days: 9072
Starting June 11 and ending June 14, Grand Park will be one of the busiest locations for youth travel baseball tournaments in all of the Midwest. Bullpen Tournaments has secured the rights to host the PGSuper25 Midwest National Championships Qualifier of Perfect Game. This event will take place at the 13u – 17u age groups and boasts roughly 24-30 teams per age level. Teams are traveling from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Tennessee all in hopes of qualifying for the PG National Championship being held in East Cobb, GA.
On the junior side of the complex, Grand Park looks forward to hosting the final week of competition for Westfield Youth Sports (WYSI) as they eagerly anticipate the crowing of each age group's league champion. After the completion of WYSI's competition, Bullpen Tournaments will vamp back up for the 2015 Freedom Classic for ages 9u – 12u. Registration for this event closed a full four months before competition is set to begin.
Finally, on the softball field locations, Bullpen is pleased to welcome Amateur Softball Association of America as they host their 2015 USA Regional Tournament. This event is expected to draw elite softball programs at the 12u and 14u age groups from all over the surrounding Midwest states.
June 19 – 21 Weekend
Events: Midwest Prospect League (MPL) Tournament, MPL Showcase and ASA Gold Games
Total teams: 119 teams
Est. participants: 1,428
Est. spectators: 3,570
Est. park visits over the 3 days: 4,998
Garnering much momentum from 2014's successful Midwest Prospect Tournament that featured roughly 60 College Programs from around the country, Bullpen Tournaments is pleased to introduce the MPL Tournament taking place on June 19-21. The MPL Tournament will feature many of the most prestigious travel organizations from around the Midwest at the 13u – 17u age divisions. Teams are traveling from: Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Missouri. This event will attract elite Division I Baseball programs from around the country with total scouting numbers anticipated well beyond the mark set in 2014.
On June 19-21 the Amateur Softball Association of America will once again utilize the premium softball diamonds at Grand Park for a final week of their USA Regional Tournament. This event will highlight the 16u age divisions for girls softball and will likewise attract the scouting eyes of programs across the country.
July 1 – 5 Weekend
Events: Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) Showcase, Grand Championship and Firecracker Classic
Total teams: 296
Est. athletes: 3,552
Est. spectators: 8,880
Est. park visits over the 5 days: 12,432
Bullpen Tournaments is pleased to welcome Premier Girls Fastpitch to the fold in 2015. PGF will be hosting a number of events at Grand Park in 2015, but none will be as coveted as much as the PGF Midwest Firecracker over the July 1-5 weekend. Competition will begin with a showcase on July 1 – highlighting competitor's fundamental skills on an individual basis for area scouts in attendance – and will conclude with a four-day tournament of elite competition. Teams in attendance are traveling as far as Texas and will include others from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee and more to come!
Transitioning to an outlook for the baseball side of the complex, Bullpen looks forward to hosting the 2015 Midwest Grand Championships at Grand Park. This event will be in its second year of existence and already includes over 70 teams at the 13u, 15u and 18u age divisions.
Game Day USA Baseball Tournaments has agreed to rent Grand Park's junior baseball facilities for the July 4th weekend and will host competitions at the 8u – 12u age divisions.
About Grand Park Sports Campus
Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, is a destination like no other. The thoughtfully designed 400-acre Grand Park Sports Campus features 26 baseball and softball diamonds, 31 multipurpose fields for soccer, football, rugby, field hockey and lacrosse. An indoor soccer facility will open in 2015 and an indoor basketball/volleyball facility will open in 2016. Grand Park also features an abundance of green space and more than 10 miles of pedestrian/bicycle trails, including the largest trailhead on the Monon Corridor.
More than 1.5 million sports visitors are expected to participate in or attend tournaments and events at the Grand Park Sports Campus on an annual basis making the surrounding area a prime location for economic development. The master plan outlines approximately 1,400 acres of land available for residential and commercial development including hospitality (hotel, restaurant and retail), mixed-use, life science and corporate office uses.
Visit GrandPark.org for more information.
Source: Grand Park Sports Campus