Triple Crown Chooses Wenatchee

A nationally-renowned baseball tournament promoter has selected the Wenatchee Valley as the site for a youth baseball tournament next spring. Triple Crown Sports, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, chose Wenatchee to host a "Season Opener" tournament for teams aged 9-14.

Drew Reiners, Northwest-Southwest Baseball Director for Triple Crown, said the Wenatchee Valley's climate, central-location and facilities were the deciding factors. "This area is beautiful and reminds me a lot of our headquarters in Fort Collins. Its central location in Washington and dryer weather in the spring makes it a perfect venue for a kickoff tournament for youth around the region," Reiners said.

Reiners toured area facilities and met with local baseball interests in August about the possibility of Triple Crown running a tournament in the Wenatchee area. Director of Marketing for the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council, Eric Granstrom, was Reiners tour guide. He said, "We owe a lot to our local youth baseball organizations and facility-managers for opening the door to Drew (Reiners) and listening with an open mind about bringing a top-quality event like this to our community."

Granstrom says the tournament will draw teams in five divisions ranging in age from 9-to-14 years old and will use baseball fields at Walla Walla Point and Kirby Billingsley Hydro Parks, Dan White Field, Eastmont Jr. High's field, Tedford Park, Lincoln Park and Wenatchee Valley College's Paul Thomas, Sr. Baseball Field. Reiners says he hopes for thirty or more teams in the first year, but added, "...even at the hint of a tournament in Wenatchee I had four coaches from the west side contact me and say they wanted in."

According to Granstrom, the anticipated economic impact of Triple Crown's tournament in the Wenatchee Valley is between $60,000 and $70,000 its first year out. Triple Crown currently runs tournaments in Everett (May) and Tri-Cities (June).

For more information, contact Eric Granstrom at 509-663-3723 or sports@wenatcheevalley.org.

Drew Reiners can be contacted at 970-672-0546 or drew@triplecrownsports.com. Triple Crown Sports' website is www.triplecrownsports.com.