WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The Little League Southwest Regional Tournament is taking Waco by storm. Three out-of-state teams: Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and two in-state: Alamo Heights and Columbus, are vying for the regional title, as it would punch their ticket to the World Series Softball Championships in Greenville, North Carolina starting Sunday, August 4.
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It’s an exciting week on the diamond, where three out-of-state softball clubs and two from Texas are are gathered here in Waco for the Little League Softball Southwest Region Tournament.
“Everything here is amazing, it’s what the girls deserve and we’re so happy to be here,” said Manager for Alamo Heights Little League, Chance Mazuerek.
A round robin-style competition is set to take place, with the end goal to play on the national stage at the Little League Softball World Series Championship in Greenville, North Carolina.
Some might be wondering though, why Waco?
“One, it’s a central location, second is softball is huge in this area — I think a lot of people are familiar with the local little league named Midway," said Southwest Region Director for Little League International, Blaine Whitmire.
"Softball is very huge here and they take it very seriously and I think you can say that southwest region has a lot more success in softball than they do in baseball."
This will in turn, bring more tourism and economic growth to the Central Texas community.
“We provide the hotels for the managers, the coaches, we have what we call a player advocate," Whitemire said.
"We provide hotel rooms for the managers, coaches and the players but we also provide the breakfast meals in the morning, and then we provide them with a debit card for their lunch and their dinner."
For more information on the tournament, click here.
