Mount Pleasant Recreation Department hosts 133 youth baseball teams from across the country at USSSA World Series

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC – The Mount Pleasant Recreation Department (MPRD) and the Diamond Warriors Booster Club recently hosted 133 teams of youth baseball players on town fields during the Global Sports World Series USSSA baseball tournament July 23 - 26. Members of an estimated 70 youth baseball teams and their families stayed locally here in Mount Pleasant, bringing revenue into the town through hotel stays, dining and more.

The USSSA tournament brought the teams in age groups 9 - 14 to the Charleston area, with some teams playing games in North Charleston and Summerville. Teams of age 9U, 11U, 12U and 14U players participated in games at Mount Pleasant Recreation Department fields, including the three fields at the R.L. Jones Center, four fields at the MPRD Park West Recreation Complex, three fields at the Joe Gawrych Baseball Complex, one field at the Wando South location and one field at Wando High School. All teams participating in the Charleston area tournament competed in Mount Pleasant at some point throughout the weekend.

“By having 164 scheduled games played here in Mount Pleasant at our five venues is a testament not only to the quality facilities that we have here in town, but also to the dedication and effort put forth by staff and volunteers alike to welcome visitors and support our local businesses,” said MPRD Recreation Director Ken Ayoub. “At the same time, the world series offered us the opportunity to provide some good, competitive baseball games for those of us who live here to attend and enjoy.”

The youth teams traveled from across the country – with most coming from the Southeast, including Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina – to participate in the Global World Series. The Global Sports Association is a division of the USSSA, the United States Specialty Sports Association. Other sessions of the Global Sports World Series are being held at other locations throughout the country in July and August.

“Most of the players and families of the 70 teams that had games in Mount Pleasant are staying in Mount Pleasant hotels, as well as many of the teams playing games in North Charleston or Summerville,” said MPRD Baseball Recreation Specialist Matt Ishee. “And all 133 teams spent time in Mount Pleasant for skills competitions, probably grabbing lunch here afterward.”

The Mount Pleasant Recreation Department provided fields and some staff to support the numerous volunteers from the Diamond Warriors to help run the tournament from Thursday through Sunday in Mount Pleasant. Following a highly successful USSSA tournament that the Diamond Warriors hosted at MPRD’s facilities in November 2008, the USSSA selected the department to host the majority of the Global Sports World Series’ games played this past weekend.

For more information on the USSSA or the Global Sports Association, visit www.usssa.com or www.usssabaseball.org. For more information about the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department, contact MPRD Baseball Coordinator Ryan Johnson 884-2528. Also visit www.townofmountpleasant.com.