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The upcoming Tar Heel League state baseball tournaments will be in Washington, NC. They will begin on July 27 and conclude on July 30. The teams that did well enough in the district tournaments will be competing for a state championship.

There will be four different tournaments, one for each age group. There will be an eight and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, and 15 and under tournament. Each tournament will be a double elimination bracket with a varying number of teams in each bracket. Teams from Washington, NC will compete in every bracket except the eight and under division.

The 10 and under Washington team will play Erwin in the first round. Depending on the result, they could play SJBA-South (South Johnston Baseball Association) or Greene County in the next round.

The 12 and under team will match up with Shelby in the first round then they will see Yancey County or Garner. Lastly, the 15 and under team from Washington will compete against Hildebran first, then SJBA or Yancey County.

Parks and Recreation Director Kristi Roberson said hosting the tournaments will be great for Beaufort County. “The host location typically flips between the east and west parts of the state,” Roberson said. “It must be somewhere that can host a lot of teams and this year that is us. It will have a great economic impact and positively impact the community.” The tournament was held in Boone, NC last year.

Roberson said there will be close to 40 teams in attendance with each team having about 11 players. It will be busy at the fields, which is why each division has been designated two fields for their tournament.

The games will primarily be played at the Susiegray McConnell Sports Complex. The 10 and under tournaments will be played on two fields at the sports complex. The 12 and under bracket will also have two fields at the sports complex.

The eight-and-under tournaments will have one field at the sports complex and will use the baseball stadium at Washington High School for their second field. The 15 and under division will be in the same boat playing in separate locations. It is an eight-minute drive between the sports complex and WHS.