It’ll be a home run weekend in downtown Moncton.
Slo-pitch teams from Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and across Atlantic Canada will compete at the National Co-ed Championships.
Coordinator Bernie Melanson says they’re expecting over 800 high-calibre players between the ages of 16 and 55. “We have 60 teams coming in, and you’re looking at between 13 and 14 players per team, and most are coming from out of province.”
Teams are divided into three different divisions, Coed Comp, Coed D and Coed E. Starting on Friday, they’ll play a round robin of games, and then be split into two groups for the playoffs, which will be played on Sunday and Monday.
Teams are scheduled to play at three fields in the city, Hal Betts Sports Fields, Wheeler and Crandall.
“In the competitive division, a lot of the players have played in Softball Canada Nationals, or they’ve gone to the NSA World Series, and they’ve competed in some pretty high-calibre tournaments,” Melanson adds.
Spectators are encouraged to come out and watch. “There are bleachers at most of the fields, but typically we see a lot of spectators standing along the foul line where they won’t miss any of the action. We also have a lot of food trucks on site, for anyone who wants to check out the games and also grab a bite to eat,” Melanson adds.
Carpooling is recommended for those who plan to cheer on their favourite teams or just to check out a game or two.
This is not the first time Moncton has hosted the Slo-Pitch Nationals. It has been the host city every two years, and it has a huge economic spinoff for the City of Moncton, estimated at over a million dollars.
The planning and organization of the events also takes a great deal of time. Melanson says it all starts a year in advance, and they have a team of individuals who pitch in, handling a 60-team schedule, ensuring they have enough Umpires, reviewing rankings and results and a whole list of other tasks.
“It’s a pretty big team of great individuals who work very hard,” Melanson says.
Once the competition wraps up on Sunday and the players head home, the work begins again, as Moncton has been chosen to host the Slo-Pitch National Co-ed Championships for the next five years in a row.
