Kissimmee, FL–August 30, 2016—USA Elite Select is excited to announce the 2017 World Fastpitch Championship will return to Kansas City July 10-16, 2017! After the success of last year’s inaugural event and due to the championship calendar, we believe it is important to return to the Kansas City metro area in the middle of July.
Last year, 178 teams in four age divisions-12U, 14U, 16U, 18U-enjoyed a week of intense competition, National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) action, educational panels, over 90 college coaches from various divisions and conferences, and the unity of the entire fastpitch community. In the end, we watched eight teams compete for a World Championship on live television broadcasted by CBS Sports Network. It marked the first time for four amateur fastpitch championships to be aired LIVE on a national broadcast. OC Batbusters Garcia took home the first ever 12U Championship beating GA Impact Gusaeff 2-1, OC Batbusters Mascarenas upset OC Batbusters Campbell to capture the 14U title, OC Batbusters Lastrapes used an extra inning walk-off hit to beat the Marucci Patriots, and OC Batbusters Stith beat Texas Glory to capture the 18U title.
The 2017 World Fastpitch Championship will use a five game guarantee format with one exhibition game, two seeded pool games, and double elimination bracket play. Bracket play will continue to feature 7 inning games and the Championships will be split between Saturday and Sunday. Educational panels for athletes, parents and coaches will return with another star-studded lineup to be announced later. Our media presence will continue to grow as USSSA is committed to providing the most technologically advanced national championship with our live stream, national television, and media coverage including interviews, stories, and live press conferences.
The WFC will feature the top 64 teams in the 12U/14U/16U/18U age divisions who qualify or who have received an automatic berth from the 2016 WFC. An at-large process will be used in the case of filling in the final teams. We have numerous qualifying events spread throughout the country with an emphasis on our Fall qualifiers. WFC Qualifying events include our National Qualifiers, Championship Qualifying Invitationals, and Championship Showcases. In order to participate in qualifiers, all teams must be registered USA Elite Select.
You can register now for all WFC qualifying events on our website www.usaeliteselect.com
2016 Fall Qualifying Events include:
Sept. 2-4 Sun Coast Shootout Ft. Myers, FL National Qualifier
Sept. 23-25 Northeast Qualifier Westampton, NJ National Qualifier
Sept. 24-25 Emerald City Fall Qualifier Kent, WA Qualifier
Oct. 1-2 Music City Qualifier Nashville, TN National Qualifier
Oct. 7-9 Desert Duel Phoenix, AZ National Qualifier
Oct. 14-16 MSP Fall Showcase (Elite Div) Overland Park Showcase
Oct. 15-16 Atlanta Fastpitch Classic Atlanta, GA Qualifier
Oct. 20-22 Palm Springs Qualifier Palm Springs, CA National Qualifier
Oct. 20-22 USA Elite Select Qualifier Sacramento, CA National Qualifier
Oct. 28-30 Kansas City Fall Qualifier Shawnee, KS National Qualifier
Oct. 28-30 Top Gun Prodigy Choctaw, OK Invitational
Oct. 28-30 Buckeye State Classic Columbus, OH National Qualifier
Nov. 4-6 DFW Fall Qualifier McKinney, TX National Qualifier
Nov. 4-6 Champions Elite Showcase Atlanta, GA Showcase
Nov. 11-3 Thanksgiving Shootout Phoenix, AZ Showcase
Nov. 18-20 Southeast Fall Qualifier Valdosta, GA National Qualifier
Nov. 18-20 Best of Texas Fall Classic Houston, TX Invitational
More 2016 Fall Qualifying dates will be announced soon. The 2017 Qualifying dates will be announced by October 1st.
We hope to see you this Fall qualifying for the 2017 WFC in Kansas City!
