USSSA Eastern National Championships are set to bring in 19 million dollars to the Eastern Shore

DELMARVA – The USSSA Eastern National Championships started today.

The event is estimated to bring in 19 million dollars to the area. The games will be taking place all over the lower Eastern Shore.

“USSSA Eastern Nationals is coming to the Eastern shore – Wicomico County, Worcester County, and the town of Ocean City for the 16th year now,” says Cole Lacey, the Assistant Tourism Manager for Wicomico County.

Now that the teams are all checked in for the USSSA Eastern National Championships they’re getting ready to throw the first pitch. Parks and Tourism officials tell us along with some friendly competition there will likely be an economic impact.

“None of us can really do this event on our own based on the number of facilities we use, a number of hotel rooms, this event is drawing in 350 teams which is certainly filling our hotels, our restaurants, and a lot of the area attractions,” says Lacey.

The Ocean City Hotel Motel and Restaurant Association says the hotels on the shore are booked and busy, but they’re prepared for the action.

“I’ve talked to those salespeople in those hotels and they’re super excited because they’re starting to see those families come in…this is a great event because its 3 different weeks, there are 3 different sets of softball tournaments,” says Susan Jones, with the Ocean City Hotel Motel and Restaurant Association.

While some of the 350 teams are local they have the opportunity to take on some new opponents.

“Also we have quite a bit of local teams playing in yer event which is fantastic, you know a lot of these teams, local teams may not get a chance to play a team from Canada or play a team from Illinois or from the midwest so,” says Lacey.

The fun isn’t just for the players it’s for the visitors too.

“So there are a lot of different attractions that they go to, go-karts, the water park so it’s not just about playing softball for these families because they actually come and vacation which is one of the reasons why we love sports tournaments because it really is an all-encompassing family vacation,” says Jones.

To keep up with the games, visit their website.