SALISBURY, MD – Over the next three weeks, nearly 350 girls’ softball teams will make their way to the Lower Eastern Shore for the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Eastern National Championships.
This year’s Eastern National marks the 16th year of the event on the Eastern Shore.
Teams will travel from 14 states and Canada to compete in this year’s National.
The tournament is a major economic driver for the area. This year’s estimated economic impact is $19 million.
“We always look forward to the return of the USSSA Eastern Nationals,” said Kristen Goller, tourism manager for Wicomico County. “The tournament has chosen Maryland’s Eastern Shore as its base since 2007, and the impact for our local community has been tremendous. We are grateful to the local businesses that support the tournament each year.”
The growth of the tournament is due in part to the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance (MAASA), a formal sports marketing partnership between Wicomico and Worcester Counties and the Town of Ocean City. MAASA was formed in 2014 to accommodate the growth of the Eastern National, which had expanded beyond Wicomico County’s borders.
“USSSA East and the MAASA partners worked for years to grow the Eastern National,” Goller said. “Because of the dedication from all sides, this event is now one of the largest fast-pitch tournaments in one location in the nation.”
The Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury provides the main fields of play for the tournament. Other fields tentatively scheduled for use in Wicomico County include East Wicomico Little League, Mason-Dixon Sports Complex and WinterPlace Park. In Worcester County, games are scheduled at Showell Park and John Walter Smith Park. In the Town of Ocean City, games will be played at Northside Park.
The Eastern National is divided into three tournament weeks:
Week 1: July 12-17 – 10U Open, 12U Open
Week 2: July 19-24 – 14U Open, 14U B
Week 3: July 25-30 – 16U Open, 18U Open, 18U B
*”U” abbreviation for “under.”
Tournament games are open to the public with no admission fee charged. For more information on the Eastern National, visit www.WicoSports.org. In accordance with USSSA national guidelines, schedules will be released at the beginning of each tournament week, and will be posted to the USSSA website.
