Little leaguers ready to compete in Summerfest Tournament

    Starting on Monday, area Little League teams will be back in Braidwood to compete in the fourth annual Summerfest Tournament.
    The tournament, which is hosted by the Braidwood Baseball and Softball Association, started in 2014 and has grown to one of the best times to showcase local talent.
    “We will have the home run derby, and we will also have our first games of the tournament that night,” said Jerry Curl, BBSA president.
    The home run derby will start at 5 p.m. on the Braidwood fields, with registration opening an hour prior.
    The hitting derby is open to any player under the age of 14, and the proceeds will go towards BBSA, as they look to fund their new field.
    There will be four different age divisions, ages 7-8. 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14, with the distance increasing with each age group.
    Those interested in participating in the home run derby can go the BBSA website, bbsa-il.com for more information or to print off a registration.
    The tournament is divided into age groups, with baseball having 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U players, while softball will have two divisions, 10U and 12U.
    “The bracket is full for the tournament,” said Curl, who added that the tournament seems to get bigger every year. “We have teams from Kankakee, St. Anne, Peotone, Whiteford Baseball (Joliet), Seneca, Gardner-South Wilmington, Wilmington and Coal City.”    The tournament starts on Monday night, and will run throughout the week, and alongside the Summerfest  festivities.
    The championship rounds will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 14 & 15, with the tournament concluding right before the annual fireworks.