Rugby, Baseball and Golf Converging on Panama City Beach This Weekend

Panama City Beach, a premier destination for sports tourism and recreation, invites visitors and residents to enjoy three exciting sporting events kicking off in the destination this weekend. These events include the Visit Panama City Beach College Baseball Classic on February 3-5, the Third Annual Lady Bison Classic golf Division I tournament on February 4-7, and the Major League Rugby preseason training and games, taking place from February 5-11.

Hosted by Gulf Coast Community College and Publix Sports Park, the Visit Panama City Beach College Baseball Classic will feature some of the top junior college baseball teams in the nation including teams from Alabama, Texas, Florida, South Carolina and more. The sixteen-team bracket will begin on Friday, February 3rd with Gulf Coast State College starting off the tournament vs. #6 San Jacinto (TX) at 10:00 a.m. The championship teams will face off for the final game on February 5th. The tournament will welcome many Major League Baseball and Division l college scouts, and an event MVP will be named in honor of legendary Hall of Fame athlete Don Sutton, who pitched at Gulf Coast Community College. Tickets are available at $10 per session or $25 for the whole tournament.

For the Third Annual Lady Bison Classic presented by Under Armour, Panama City Beach will welcome women’s golf programs from a total 15 Division l colleges to Bay Point Golf Club for a 3-day, shotgun format tournament that is free to the public. After a practice round on February 4th, the first of three rounds will begin on February 5th at 8 a.m. CST, with the second and third rounds teeing off at 8 a.m. on February 6th and 7th.

Starting on February 5th, approximately 150 athletes from several Major League Rugby teams will take part in preseason spring training at Frank Brown Park and Publix Sports Park. The participating teams include the Chicago Hounds, Atlanta Rugby, New Orleans and the Colorado-based American Raptors. The games begin on Friday, February 10th at Frank Brown Park Festival Site, where Rugby Atlanta will challenge the American Raptors at 2 p.m. CST in the first game of the day. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to stop by and enjoy the competition.