By J.D. Wood, Tourism Manager
When people around the country look at College Station these days, they see us not only as the home of Texas A&M University but as a great destination for youth sports events. We serve as host for many state and regional athletic events each year, but sometimes the stakes are the highest possible.
Yes, I’m talking about a national championship.
Starting Monday at Veterans Park & Athletic Complex and Stephen C. Beachy Central Park, College Station is playing host to the American Softball Association’s USA 16-and-Under Class A National Championship. We’ll have 92 teams from 24 states in town battling to wear the crown as the best 16-and-under fast-pitch softball team in the country.
Teams will travel from all over the U.S and will be arriving in College Station as early as Saturday to prepare for Sunday’s opening ceremonies at Wolf Pen Creek. Tournament play starts Monday and will continue daily until the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 7.
The 15 teams from Texas illustrate the strength the sport has in our state. Other teams are coming from as far west as Lake Stevens, Wash. (2,199 miles); as far north as Southfield, Mich. (1,290 miles); and as far East as Port St. Lucie, Fla. (1,169 miles).
For more information and tournament brackets, visit cstx.gov/tournaments.
About the Author
J.D. Wood has been the City of College Station’s tourism manager since 2014 after serving as lead athletic supervisor for a year. His extensive experience in sports and tourism includes stints with the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau and Texas A&M Athletics. A native of Onalaska, J.D. earned both his bachelor’s (2009) and master’s (2010) degrees in sports management from Texas A&M.
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