On Monday all eyes will be on Washington as 1,300 people are expected to come to the Susiegray McConnell Sports Complex for the start of the ENC Babe Ruth state softball tournament.
The opening ceremony will take place on July 8 as Washington welcomes 46 teams representing 58 counties for the 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U and 16U state softball championship tournaments.
“The opening ceremonies will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday with a few brief remarks from the Babe Ruth officials along with the introduction of the umpires and then we will have a parade of teams on the field,” said Washington Girls Faspitch Softball League president Greg Dority. “Then, we will have a few words from the league commissioner. Afterwards, there will be a free movie (Hotel Transylvania) shown down at Festival Park at 8:45 and we’re encouraging all the people coming to town to go down town for the movie.”
It’s been nearly 10 years since Washington has been the home site of the state tournament and Dority was extremely pleased to have it back.
“Washington had it a few years ago – I think it was either 2003 or 2004 – and since then the ENC state tournament has gotten a lot larger,” said Dority, who has been the WGFSL president for the past seven years. “Last year the state tournament was held in Laurinburg and at that time I had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with the state commissioner and I kept pushing her about Washington being a great venue for the tournament.
“We just kept pushing. We’ve been pushing for a number or years now and this year an opening came up and it was offered to us back in February and we jumped on it and we’ve been working hard ever since to get the ball rolling.”
Aside from giving area softball fans a week’s worth of games to watch, the tournament is expected to provide a boost to local businesses.
“We’re expecting 1,300 people for opening ceremonies. There’s a lot of people that are coming to Washington,” Dority said. “We’ve been told most of the hotel rooms in Washington are filled. Some of the restaurants we understand are lengthening their hours. There’s a lot of people coming to Washington and it’s going to be a significant event.”
Hosting the tournament will also shine the spotlight on the home teams’ ever-increasing level of play.
“For a long time Washington had a very average program in Babe Ruth, I think most people would agree with that. Over the years, through a lot of hard work from our board members, our coaches and parents, Washington has slowly risen to where we are now on the national stage,” Dority said. “We were in two World Series last year (12U and 16U) and our fans were named the Fans of the Year at the (12U) World Series and the program has developed a reputation for being strong on the field as well as showing superior sportsmanship.”
With temperatures expected to be as high as the intensity of the field, Dority said he is hoping that spectators keep their cool as they watch the games.
“We’re going to have 46 teams coming and it will be crowded at the fields and we’re expecting folks in eastern North Carolina to show the rest of the state that we are tops in sportsmanship and behavior,” Dority said. “We’re going to have a lot of people out there directing folks where to park and keeping an eye on things.
“What we ask of the parents and the fans is to continue to root on our teams and be good sports. Sometimes the breaks go for us and sometimes they go against us but we need people to realize what this is: an opportunity for the girls to be the focus on the field and for us to have an opportunity to showcase our community to the rest of the state. We’re hoping that everyone coming here has a good experience, not just at the ball park, but in downtown Washington and the rest of the community.”