Southaven readies for youth tourneys

That collective spirit better be present, as 47 youth softball teams kicked off play Thursday at Greenbrook Softball Complex and 74 baseball teams start at Snowden Grove Park Saturday.

And for the latter, it's just one of three championship sessions. The action overlaps, since ages 6, 9, 11, 14 and 16 play through July 19, age 8 (July 18-24) and ages 7, 10, 12, 13 and 18 (July 20-26).

"This time around, it's going to be bigger and better," Southaven athletic director Gary Roberts said. "We'll get finished just in time for the kids to go back to school around here. This kind of caps the whole summer. This is the grand finale."

The city has always hosted the softball (ages 6-16), but a three-year contract was signed last November for every baseball age division. Depending on how things go, there's an option through 2019.

"We're very excited that we were able to attract all the age groups," Southaven Mayor Greg Davis said. "It'll have, in my opinion, a tremendous economic impact to our local businesses. Overall, it's exactly what we had hoped to do when we built the fields."

Converging on DeSoto County are teams from North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Texas, to name a few.

"We'll fill up every hotel here and keep all the businesses just very happy," Baker said. "It will be a big crowd. This is their time to come travel and play, where the select teams have been traveling all year long. They're excited to be here and you can see the excitement."