Sports Releases

The Sluggers Queen City Invitational

03/29/2010

MASON, OH - (March 29, 2010) -Warren County Sports has announced that the top 13 and under, 11 and under, and 9 and under baseball teams from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will play in the Sluggers Queen City Invitational Apr 9-11 in Mason.

Competition will take place at Corwin Nixon Park and Mason Sports Park. The event is expected to generate 2,000 participants and spectators, 700 room nights and drive an estimated economic impact of $750,000.

The invitation-only event is a USSSA Global World Series Qualifier. The winning team will go on to play in a USSSA World Series event later this year.

Tournament director and coach of the 13U West Chester Sluggers, Denny Hollstegge of Mason, together with Warren County Sports, organized the inaugural 2010 Sluggers Queen City Invitational.

"The teams playing in this tournament are competing at the highest level. Our goal is to develop very good ball players fundamentally, and that means playing the best teams. These players will go on to be great players for their high school teams," said Hollstegge. "As these players progress, their competition for college scholarships will not just be in Cincinnati, but in Indiana, Michigan, and other Midwestern states- we expose these players to a high level of completion at an early age which gives them an advantage later."

The West Chester Sluggers will compete in tournaments such as this throughout the season, traveling to Alabama, Illinois, Michigan and Tennessee most weekends April through July. The 12 player team includes boys who drive up to two hours one way to practice with the team.

"We are excited to host this event in Warren County. Events like this illustrate how important sporting events are to the local community as an economic driver during the shoulder seasons and throughout the year," said Ben Huffman, Director of Sports Marketing for the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We have established Warren County as a premier sports destination where the best athletes compete - and then stay to play. The families of the players will see all that Warren County has to offer and we hope they will want return for a family vacation."

Spectators are welcome.

Additional tournament information www.eteamz.com/sluggersqueencityinvitational.

About Warren County Sports:
Warren County Sports is a department of the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The department bids on and facilitates national championships and regional sporting events, with the primary goal of attracting out-of-town competitors. Since its inception in 2004, Warren County Sports has grown to become an extremely successful driver of room nights and economic impact to the local community. In 2009, Warren County Sports generated 20,000 room nights and an estimated economic impact of $11.5 Million.

About Warren County and the WCCVB:
Warren County is Ohio's Largest Playground! With easy access from Interstates 71 and 75, visitors to Warren County can enjoy more activities within a 30-mile radius than anywhere else in Ohio.

The Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau is a destination marketing organization whose mission is to drive tourism and overnight visitation to Warren County. Tourism is the leading industry in Warren County. The 6.4 million yearly visitors drive an economic impact of $917 million and 11,029 tourism-related jobs.

For additional information, visit www.ohioslargestplayground.com or call 800-433-1072.