The 2016 National Softball Association Girls’ Fast Pitch ‘B’ World Series will be held in Evansville and Owensboro next July 18 through July 24.
This was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Evansville Sports Corporation, the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau (Evansville CVB) and the Owensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This national tournament will attract over 200 girls’ fast pitch teams from 14 states including North and South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, New York, regional states in the Midwest, and Canada.
To accommodate a tournament of this size, Evansville partnered with Owensboro in order to have the necessary fields. In addition to the complexes in Evansville – Deaconess Sports Park and Vann Road Park Fields – play will also be scheduled at Panther Creek Park and Owensboro Softball Complex at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro. More than 23 fields in total are necessary to determine the World Series champions in the 8 & under, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U age divisions.
“The NSA ‘B’ World Series will be the largest amateur sporting event southwest Indiana has ever hosted and will further add to the reputation we are building as a premiere sports event destination,” declared Jason Sands, executive director of the Evansville Sports Corporation.
Previous tournaments in Westfield in 2015 and Northwest Indiana in 2014 booked 3500 hotel rooms for the seven day competition.
“When the Evansville CVB announced we were building the Deaconess Sports Park, we envisioned hosting large national tournaments. We expected it would take a few years to make a name for ourselves that would attract a tournament of this stature. But in less than one season, we are happy to report we are well ahead of our projected goals with this sports park,” said Bob Warren, executive director of the Evansville CVB. “We expect over 8500 total visitors the NSA’s Girls’ Fast Pitch ‘B’ World Series who will generate $2.1 million in direct expenditures for the Evansville/Owensboro region.”
The World Series will kick off with a Field Day Skills Competition on Monday, July 18 at Deaconess Sports Park during the day. Later in the afternoon, Opening Ceremonies are being planned in Downtown Evansville and include a parade, food, music, and other activities celebrating the opening night of the World Series.
The National Softball Association was established in 1982 and has grown to become a significant amateur sports company in the United States. They feature girls’ fast pitch as well as men’s adult slow pitch and a boys’ baseball division called the Baseball Players Association.
Northern Zone Director of NSA Bill Horton said “The NSA is extremely excited to bring the World Series to the southwest Indiana and western Kentucky region and we’re confident our teams are going to enjoy the great complexes, the hospitality, and all the activities that are being planned.”
Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne expressed his appreciation, “We understand the significance that recreational tourism and sporting events like the NSA ‘B’ World Series have on our city and we staunchly support those events in Owensboro, embracing the benefits they generate for our economy! The NSA ‘B” event is especially exciting as it is the first partnership of this magnitude between our two communities and I believe it can be the first of many!”
For further information on this event, please call Bob Warren at 812-421-2200 or Jason Sands at 219-746-2481.
