Maryland’s Eastern Shore preps for return of the USSSA Eastern Nationals

Salisbury, MD – Over 5,500 softball players will soon be on the lower Eastern Shore for the United States Specialty Sports Association’s (USSSA) Eastern Nationals.

This year’s Eastern Nationals will be held from July 11-28. The event draws nearly 370 girls’ softball teams from 16 states to the region over three weeks. States represented include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia.

The event generates an estimated economic impact of over $17 million and a hotel room night demand in excess of 11,000.

“Many participants turn the tournament into a vacation for the whole family,” said Andrew Kurtz, Wicomico County sports marketing representative. “Wicomico and Worcester Counties and the Town of Ocean City will see a boost in tourist activities throughout the three weeks as a result of the tournament.”

This is Wicomico County’s 12th year hosting USSSA events.

“Over the years we have worked with USSSA East and our partners in the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance (MAASA) to help grow the Eastern Nationals,” Kurtz said. “This event is now one of the largest fast pitch tournaments in one location in the nation.”

MAASA, a formal sports marketing partnership between Wicomico and Worcester Counties and the Town of Ocean City, was formed in 2014 to accommodate the growth of the Eastern Nationals, which had expanded beyond Wicomico County’s borders. Since then, the Eastern Nationals, along with other large-scale sports marketing events on the Shore, have been billed under the MAASA umbrella.

The recently-expanded Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury provides the main fields of play for the tournament. Other fields tentatively scheduled for use in Wicomico County include East Wicomico Little League, Eastside Youth Sports Complex, Fruitland Recreational Area and WinterPlace Park. In Worcester County, games are scheduled at John Walter Smith Park. In the Town of Ocean City, games will be played at Northside Park.

The Eastern Nationals are divided into three tournament weeks:

Week 1: July 11-15 - 10U Open, 12U Open

Week 2: July 17-22 - 14U Open, 14U B

Week 3: July 23-28 - 16U Open, 18U Open, 18U B
*’U’ abbreviation for under.

Tournament games are open to the public with no admission fee charged. For more information on the Eastern Nationals, please visit www.WicoSports.org. In accordance with USSSA national guidelines, schedules will be released at the beginning of each tournament week, and will be posted to the USSSA website.
www.PlayMAASA.org