Baseball fans needing to see some live games have plenty of opportunities to do so at Grand Park this weekend.
Three tournaments are going on at the same time, including two hosted by the same organization. The USSSA Global World Series is running through Sunday; teams from ages 8U to 13U are competing in this tournament. The event has two different divisions, AA and Open. While most of the teams are from Indiana, there are a few coming to Grand Park from neighboring states as well.
Nearly 170 different teams are competing in this event. Pool play continues through today, with some bracket play beginning this afternoon as well. The event will be exclusively into bracket play by Saturday, with winners crowned by Sunday.
USSSA is also hosting the AA World Series, which is exclusively for 14U teams. Ten squads are taking part in this event, including a pair of HSE Royals teams (Blue and White). Pool play wraps up today, with the bracket play to begin this afternoon, with the champion to be determined Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a tournament for slightly older players is also taking place this week. The 15 Amateur Baseball Championships has games going on through Monday.
There are two divisions: 15U and 15U Reserved. Over 350 teams are listed between the two divisions, with a five-game guarantee. Pool play is taking place throughout the weekend, with bracket play beginning on Saturday evening.
Note that while the vast majority of games are taking place at Grand Park, a few of them are scheduled at other sites. Those include Hazel Dell Elementary School, Westfield and Sheridan high schools, as well as Brebeuf Jesuit in Indianapolis and the Kokomo Municipal Stadium. Games will be played at those other sites through Saturday, but all Sunday and Monday games will take place at Grand Park.
Finally this weekend, lacrosse returns to Grand Park with the NXT Grand Prix Tournament. There will be nine boys divisions and six girls divisions at this event, with games taking place Saturday and Sunday.
Around 95 boys teams are schedule to compete, with age groups ranging from Class of 2021 to a combined Class of 2028/29. On the girls side, 45 teams will be in action, with the age ranges from Class of 2022 to Class of 2026, in addition to a High School Mix Girls division.
Games at the event are mostly scheduled for the morning on Saturday, then during the late morning/early afternoon on Sunday. The NXT website calls it “Family-Friendly Scheduling,” allowing players and their families to get off the field and explore Hamilton County and surrounding areas once the games are done. There will also be a Vendor Village and NXTexperience at the event, which the website said offers food, fun and shopping.
The Indiana Bulls are one of the teams playing in the 15 Amateur Baseball Championships, which runs through Monday. The championships are for 15U teams, but the Bulls, shown here Wednesday night, are the lone 14U team playing in the event. (Richie Hall)