Visit Lake Charles is pleased to announce that New Balance Future Stars Series National Championships, one of the most prestigious high school showcase baseball tournaments in the United States, will call Southwest Louisiana home for the next four years. Today in downtown Lake Charles, President/CEO of VLC, Kyle Edmiston, and President/CEO of NBFSS, Jeremy Booth, told a standing-room-only crowd of the new partnership. The first National Championship event will be held in the summer of 2020, taking place over a 4-week period beginning June 30. The total room count in excess of 10,000 room nights and annual estimated economic impact of over $7.5 million, makes the National Championship tournaments the largest single sporting event in the history of Southwest Louisiana, followed only by the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials for Boxing and USA Boxing National Championships USA held in Lake Charles in December 2019.
“This baseball event will bring people from all over the country to Southwest Louisiana, and it is a stay-to-play tournament, meaning that the event is guaranteed to fill hotel rooms and provide a significant boost to the local economy. We could not begin to bring business like this to the Lake Area without strong partnerships and the outpouring of support from local agencies, businesses, the hospitality community, volunteers, and the incredible fanbase right here in Calcasieu Parish,” said Eric Zartler, sales director for Visit Lake Charles.
“The City of Lake Charles is proud to welcome teams from across the United States to Southwest Louisiana where they will make lasting memories and friendships on-and-off the field as they strive to become champions. This history-making announcement highlights that the Lake Area is moving in a positive direction with energy and growth from a variety of avenues. We are delighted that the Visit Lake Charles team has worked diligently to secure this substantial piece of sports business, and we are looking forward to see the games begin in the summer of 2020,” said Mayor Nic Hunter of Lake Charles.
Some of the teams that are expected to participate from around the country are the Orlando Scorpions, Arkansas Sticks, Dirtbags Baseball, Ontario Blue Jays, Next Level Baseball, US Elite, Team Dinger, NorCal Baseball, Trombly Baseball and from inside the state are the Louisiana Knights and Team Louisiana. The event has been hosted in Houston for the past three years and Visit Lake Charles outdueled Las Vegas and Nashville for the right to host over the next four years. The Class of 2021 will play July 7 – 12, the Class of 2022 will be July 21 – 26, the Class of 2023 will be July 14 – 19 and the Class of 2024 will kick off the event on June 30 – July 5. The National Championship will utilize 3 fields at McMurry Park, and also the fields at Barbe High School, Sam Houston High School, Legion Field and the Joe Miller Ballpark on the campus of McNeese State University. With some of the top talent in the country on display, college coaches and professional scouts from around the country will be in Southwest LA to see these young men perform.
Some of the participants from the National Championship events will be invited to play in the Future Stars Series International Week event that will be held in the fall of 2020 at Fenway Park in Boston pitting the best young players from the United States against a team of the best young players from around the world.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the NBFSS National Tournament to Southwest Louisiana and Lake Charles. I’ve had the privilege of building some great relationships in this area over the years. I signed my first big leaguer in Lake Charles, Josh Prince. From Coach Cecchini and the entire Barbe Program, Chad Hebert at Sam Houston High School, and the staff at McNeese State, this community has always treated me like family. MLB veteran and P15 Co-Catching Coordinator Danny Ardoin is here in Lake Charles. Danny, along with the 2D sports family, is extremely close to P15. I cannot wait to bring the Future Stars Series to this region. I know this will be a unique experience for the NBFSS National Tournament and a great opportunity to share in the culture of this great community,” said Jeremy Booth, Program 15 founder and CEO/President of Baseball Operations for NBFSS.
“The entire team at Visit Lake Charles is pleased to be the host for this world-class baseball event in the Youth Sports Capital of Louisiana. We invite all team members, family, friends and the community to enjoy the excitement of the games at our sports facilities along with the attractions, food, culture and the great outdoors that Southwest Louisiana has to offer,” said Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO of Visit Lake Charles. “I also want to encourage the community from around Southwest LA to come out to watch these young men play. I guarantee that several of the participants will be playing major league baseball in the not too distant future.”
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