Levin to host major baseball tournament the Mid-Summer Blast

Levin Hustle's Fletcher Warren in action for the New Zealand U15 team last month in Guam. Fletcher will be one of many national representatives involved at the Mid-Summer Blast in Levin from January 4 at Western Park. Photo / Tayla Murphy / MurphSport

More than 100 youth baseball players will converge on Levin to compete in a new baseball tournament aimed at providing new opportunities for aspiring ballplayers.

The Mid-Summer Blast will be the first event run by new organisation and the tournament will be held at Levin over four days, starting January 4 next year.

Baseball Pathways New Zealand Inc tournament director and Baseball Pathways NZ president Hendrix Warren said the tournament would focus on providing youth with a domestic-based option to play baseball in what has traditionally been a six-week break over the Christmas and New Year period.

“For a lot of local players, not being able to play in six weeks is a huge disadvantage and can impact on their development, and also their engagement with their club teams. This event aims to keep the momentum of the first half of the season going for players,” he said.

Warren said the event is modelled differently to typical sporting tournaments. Instead of teams registering to compete, players will register individually and get drafted into a team.

“It provides an ideal opportunity to interact with new coaches and form new friendships with ballplayers from across the country,” he said.

“We [Baseball Pathways NZ] have been delighted with the level of interest, with players coming from as close as Levin, to Australia set to attend the event.

“We’ll have some of the best youth players in the country here in Levin”.

There will be two age divisions, with U13 and U16 teams competing for Championship Rings.

An added incentive in the tournament will be the selection of teams to participate in World Series events in the USA later in 2024 under the Southern Cross Baseball Academy banner.

The event will be held over four days and will feature activities including fun skills competitions, a food trucks and music.

The Details

What: Mid-Summer Blast Youth Baseball Challenge

When: January 4 – January 7, 2024

Where: Western Park, Levin

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