Adult softball tournament bringing the best of the best to Bryan-College Station

Courtesy of The Eagle

USSSA is in the press again! Great coverage on USSSA Slow Pitch in Texas, here is a great report from The Eagle:

Written by Jeffrey Perkins

What began as a means to finance a local adult slow-pitch softball team has turned into the largest U.S. Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) tournament in the country nearly three decades later.

This weekend marks the 29th annual Budweiser Softball Festival, which is held at several softball complexes in Bryan-College Station, including Veterans Park, Central Park, the Bryan Regional Athletic Complex, Bee Creek Park and Haswell & Lyons Park. Over 250 teams from all over the state and even a team from Arizona are participating in the festival.

Hotels within the city limits were filled up and some participants had to find lodging in Hearne, Navasota or Caldwell.

"It started out as a fundraiser in 1986 to help our team travel to different tournaments around the state," tournament director and USSSA Southeast Division Vice President of Slow Pitch Greg Huchingson said. "We've had great support from Jack Hilliard Distributing from the beginning and it's one of their biggest weekends of the year. It's just grown every year since.

"College Station Parks [and Recreation] did the numbers and it's a $2 million impact that's spent in this community in restaurants, hotels, gas and retail. So it's a big boost in an off period without football," Huchingson added.

The Home Run Derby kicked off the tournament on Friday night and tournament play began Saturday morning and will continue around the clock until the champions are crowned on Sunday night. While playing America's Pastime day and night for an entire weekend sounds like a weekend of fun, these teams are in it to win it.

"A lot of people have a misconception of slow pitch softball, like it's a picnic or beer league," Huchingson said. "These people are very competitive. These teams will play 15 to 20 tournaments a year, and at the end of the year, they'll fly to Florida for the World Series. These are competitive teams looking to go there."

Read more at theeagle.com: http://www.theeagle.com/brazos_life/arts_watch/adult-softball-tournament-bringing-the-best-of-the-best-to/article_16c9b76d-68ad-5fa3-b763-1ba637a8142a.html

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

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