The best young female fast pitch softball players on the Island will take to the field in Ladysmith this weekend at the U12 Regional Championships.
The 16 team tournament is expected to attract anywhere from between 600 to 800 people to town with games taking place Friday through to Sunday.
All games will be played at Aggie Field as well as in Saltair.
“Each team plays three round robin games and then it goes to a single knockout,” said tournament director Steve Higgs.
Teams from Port Alberni to Victoria will be vying for a berth at provincials.
The Ladysmith Lightning, fresh off capturing a tournament in Squamish last weekend, will also be looking for big wins at home.
Higgs said the tournament is a great opportunity to host a big event and expose the girls to a higher level of play.
“It’s just a stepping stone to get Ladysmith back on the map and get the girls fast pitch softball being competitive with these Island teams,” he said.
Anyone looking to watch the local team can do so at 6 p.m. on Friday at Aggie Field, or 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. on Saturday at the same location.
Semi-final and finals will be played on Sunday at Aggie with the first game at 2:30 p.m. and the championship at 4:30 p.m.
There will be a raffle draw for a small fridge and a Bouma Meat Market gift card, 50/50 tickets as well as concessions. All the proceeds go towards the local association.
Currently, Ladysmith Softball Association supports 120 girls from U6 all the way up to U19.
“A lot of volunteers and coaches put in a lot of time to make it work around here again,” Higgs said.