The baseball fields at the Guy Thompson Community Center in Milton remained busy as youth baseball teams competed in the USSSA ‘Summer Sizzler’ tournament on both Saturday and Sunday.
Thirty-two teams from across the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama competed in the tournament, which is comprised of teams of ballplayers from as young as eight to 13 years old.
“We usually start travel ball in late February and it usually runs to the first weekend in June,” said Coy Campbell, the assistant director of local chapter of the USSSA league. “Next weekend will be our state tournament.”
The USSSA state tournament will take place in Niceville and Destin. However, this weekend’s tournament brought the teams and their families to Milton.
“It’s good for Milton, when you bring 25 to 30 teams in on to the weekend for a Saturday and Sunday that brings a lot of business to the City of Milton,” Campbell said. “It’s good for everybody.”
Among the many teams participating in the tournament was the Crestview Crush, their coach J.R. Mullis, said not too many area offer such youth baseball programs.
“This area is very fortunate when it comes to baseball…if you read the news you have little leagues that are folding up day in and day out and here it is growing by the day,” Mullis said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
Regardless of the hot temperatures, families brought their tents, coolers, folding lawn chairs and umbrellas in order to see their children compete.
Kyle Kirchharr’s family weathered the heat, in order to watch his team, the Milton Whitecaps, play in the tournament.
His father, Erich, said the team consisting of players age 11 and under often participated in these tournaments .
“We have won the last two tournaments, we have participated in,” he said. “We are a 11 U team and generally play in 11 U tournaments, but there is not one available this weekend, so we are playing in the 12 U tournaments.”
Erich said coming out the tournament is worth it, due to his son’s love for the game.
“He is all about playing baseball,” he said.
ONLINE:
To view results from the Summer Sizzler tournament, visit their website at wsbusssa.com.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Youth baseball tournament draws in area teams to Milton