Orioles To Host Wilson Premier Tournament In Sarasota

SARASOTA, FL – While the Baltimore Orioles may not have as long of a relationship with their Spring Training home as other Major League Baseball franchises, the organization has taken care of its home away from home as well as any other team.

After running a successful Wilson Premier baseball tournament program in Sarasota last summer, the Orioles will host 15 days of competition in Sarasota County this summer from Thursday, June 22 through Wednesday, July 12 during the Wilson Premier Championship East.

The event is one of the largest Florida-based tournaments in amateur baseball and the largest tournament the Orioles have drawn to Sarasota County.

“Wilson Premier brought a weekend tournament to us last September to test the waters, and we demonstrated that Sarasota County and the Orioles’ facilities are ideal for elite competition and larger events,” said David Rovine, vice president of Orioles-Sarasota. “The Wilson Premier Championship East is an opportunity for college and professional baseball scouts to see young players in action.”

The tournament will include 240 teams from across the country. Players ages 15 to 17 will compete during five-day tournaments that span three weeks.

Tournament games will be played on the five fields at the Buck O’Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, as well as the main field and three practice fields at Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St.

“The drawing power for Sarasota is the combination of community assets, the quality and number of playing fields at the Orioles’ facilities and elsewhere in the region, and the can-do attitude of the Orioles’ staff,” said Matt Bliven, Wilson Tournament director. “We are impressed by the professional facilities for the teams, which allow us to showcase talents of players for visiting scouts.”

Most tournaments hosted by the Orioles also use additional venues from Bradenton to Fort Myers. Examples include Perfect Game and Suncoast/USSSA, which combined will host 10 weekend tournaments in the region this year. According to the Orioles public relations staff, the tournaments generate millions of dollars in economic impact for Sarasota Counties and the surrounding communities.

This is not the first time the Orioles have earned repeat business in Sarasota from tournament producers and participants alike. For the third year, Game Day USA is scheduled to bring its four-day Thanksgiving tournament to the Orioles’ facilities. The event draws players, coaches and families from throughout the Midwest.

Baseball tournaments, camps and clinics hosted by the Orioles in Sarasota County attract more than 25,000 participants and spectators each year. Many of these players, coaches and families travel from outside the local community for multi-day events.

For more information, visit www.orioles.com/sarasota.

Image via Sarasota County Government Facebook page