ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Ripken Baseball today announced they are bringing premier youth baseball tournaments to Walt Disney World Resort beginning in 2020.
Ripken Baseball, known for delivering big-league baseball experiences to youth ballplayers, will launch with top-level youth baseball tournaments next year for ages 6-18 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.
The Ripken Experience at Walt Disney World Resort will encompass 11 ballfields – six youth-sized baseball fields equipped with lights for night games and five professional-sized fields, including The Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which hosted big-league spring training games for more than two decades.
“One of the core pillars of Ripken Baseball is to remember to have fun, so what better place to compete and maximize the family sports travel experience than right here at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort,” Ripken said. “We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic and internationally-respected brand as Walt Disney World to provide teams and their families with the most memorable experiences.”
Leveraging the world-class guest service and entertainment that visitors have come to expect from Walt Disney World Resort, Ripken Baseball will offer participants many opportunities to have magical experiences away from the ballfield.
“At Disney Sports, we create the best possible experience for all of the athletes who walk through our gates,” said Faron Kelley, vice president of Disney Sports. “Working with baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr., and his outstanding youth baseball academy, we will be taking the baseball experience at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to a new level of excellence.”
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex joins Ripken Baseball’s lineup of youth sports destinations, including the Ripken family’s hometown of Aberdeen, Maryland; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Across its facilities and national clinic tours, Ripken Baseball last year hosted more than 70,000 ball players from 42 states and eight countries.
Ripken earned the nickname “The Iron Man” because he set the Major League Baseball record for most consecutive games played (2,632). Ripken spent 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles where he was a 19-time All-Star shortstop. He was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player (1983, 1991) and elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Ripken Experience at Walt Disney World Resort is one of several major youth sports experiences held annually at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Others include the Disney Soccer Showcase, Disney Spring Training and the Pop Warner Super Bowl Dance and Cheer Championship.
About Ripken Baseball: Ripken Baseball brings teammates, coaches and families together through its Big League Experiences, while teaching the values of the game, and how to play it the right way - the Ripken Way. Ripken Baseball continues to innovate the game through onsite tournaments, camps and clinics hosted at their state-of-the-art youth baseball and softball facilities - The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Powered by Under Armour (Maryland), The Ripken Experience Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), The Ripken Experience Pigeon Forge (Tennessee), and The Ripken Experience at Walt Disney World Resort (opening in 2020 in Florida).
For more information, schedules and 2020 registration for week-long tournaments, visit https://www.ripkenbaseball.com/walt-disney-world. To learn more about Ripken Baseball and the “Ripken Way,’’ visit www.RipkenBaseball.com. Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @RipkenBaseball #RipkenWay.
About ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, located at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, is one of the premier sites for amateur sports in the nation. The complex hosts more than 100 entertainment and sporting events each year and has accommodated 70 different sports featuring athletes from 70 different countries. Designed to provide professional, amateur and youth athletes with experiences synonymous with the names Disney and ESPN, the 220-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including 16 baseball/softball fields, 9,500-seat ballpark, an 8,000-seat arena designed specifically for dance and cheer events, 18 multi-purpose outdoor fields for soccer, football and field hockey, three field houses for basketball, volleyball, other indoor sports, a track & field facility and a cross country course. For more information, visit www.disneysportsnews.com for news releases, photos and videos. Follow us at @ESPNWWOS and on Facebook at ESPNWWOS.
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