Welcome 2011 National Softball Association World Series to Fishers

National Softball Association World Series Tournament
Brad Baumgartner, with his daughter, Katy, who plays pitcher and outfield on the 14U HSE Cats. (Photo by Janet C. Striebel)

On July 25, the 2011 National Softball Association (NSA) “B” World Series is coming to Fishers. This softball tournament will attract girls softball teams (ages ranging from 8-16) from around the Midwest.

“This will be one of the largest tournaments hosted in Hamilton County,” says William Knox, director of the Hamilton County Sports Authority. “If we can get 300 teams to sign up for this event we will have about 12,000-15,000 people coming to our community.” This will be the first time ever that the National World Series will be held here in Hamilton County.

The facility locations where the games will be played throughout the tournament include Fishers High School, HSE High School, Olio Fields, Cicero, Noblesville High School, Oaklandon Softball Complex, and Cherry Tree Softball Complex.

Knox explains that the whole idea of hosting the World Series within our community was actually driven by the HSE Girls Softball League. He has since partnered with Brad Baumgartner, president of the organization, for staging the tournament within a worthy host community. Baumgartner states, “We have had a wonderful partnership with the NSA for years and being awarded the World Series is testament to how well we work with one another. It is our intention to provide the type of event that players enjoy and remember for a lifetime.”

“It’s exciting to host the tournament because it’s our home fields and something that doesn’t happen very often,” says Katy Baumgartner (Brad’s daughter), who plays pitcher and outfield for the 14U HSE Cats.

On Monday, July 25, the World Series will begin with a “Skills Competition” at 11:00 a.m. This event will be held at the Olio Park Softball Fields, off of 126th Street and Olio Road. Then at 7:00 p.m., the opening ceremonies will begin with a parade through Olio Park, announcing each team involved. In addition, a live concert band will perform on stage, followed by an awesome display of fireworks to complete the celebration.

Incidentally, Hamilton County is the fifth largest sports market in the state as measured by the events hosted and by visitor spending. (Source: Certec Inc. and IU Kelly School of Business) This exciting softball tournament will help support many businesses within our community such as hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters, malls, and other entertainment venues.

Knox summarizes the justification of traveling to another city and spending lots of money to accomplish the obligations of playing a competitive sport. He says, “A lot of people now, due to the economic conditions of our times, see this tournament as a two-sided event. Not only is it a competition satisfying the demands of a sport, but it also serves as a means to fulfilling a family vacation.”

Please visit www.hamiltoncountysports.com/nsa to learn more about this tournament.

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