The Ontario County Wiffle Association team were the winners of the 2016 NWLA National Tournament.
Morenci, Michigan has a fifth of the population that Dublin, Ohio has. Despite their noticeable difference in population size, the National Wiffle League Association (NWLA) National Tournament was hosted in Dublin, but will take place in Morenci in July of 2017. The change of sites came from wanting a change of scenery while saving money.
“It’s exciting for Morenci. We get to showcase Wakefield Park and our community to the country,” said Michael Sessions, the City Administrator/Clerk for the City of Morenci and a member of the Host Committee for the NWLA.
The Game of Wiffleball
Wiffleball is a variation of baseball and has some of the same rules. It is played with a perforated, light-weight ball and a plastic bat. Bases are set up 45 feet apart. The pitchers plate and home base are also 45 feet apart from each other. A strike board is positioned behind home base. When the batter does not swing and the ball hits the strike board it counts as a strike. The batter gets three strikes before they are called out. After 5 balls, the batter takes first base.
A regulation game of wiffleball is 6 innings and the mercy rule is enforced if a team is leading by 10 runs after 4 innings. Unlike baseball, hitting a player with the ball is allowed to get that player out. The national tournament will have four fields set up with 8 teams playing at once.
National Tournament Format
16 teams will be flocking to Morenci for the tournament. These teams will be coming from all around the United States; all the way from Washington, Massachusetts, and as far south as Florida. The teams coming to Morenci will have qualified for the national tournament from their respective regional tournaments.
The tournament will be set up with four fields at Wakefield Park. It will start as a round robin and then will go into double elimination. The defending champion of the NWLA is the Ontario County Wiffle Association (OCWA) from upper state New York.
Economic Impact of Hosting the National Tournament
When asked about the economic impact this could have on Morenci and Lenawee County, Sessions said, “It will bring in outside dollars. People will be eating at local restaurants, shopping at local stores, and staying at our local hotels. Our county has a lot to offer when it comes to hosting events like this.”
Outside of the immediate economic impact events like this have on each region as well as the county as a whole, these events allow us to showcase all aspects of Lenawee County to our visitors by working with partners throughout all industries to create a welcoming culture of tourism. The impact of these events will last long after the dates on the calendar as we continue to build return visits from some of the attendees.
For future information on this event and others happening around Lenawee County, head over to VisitLenawee.com.