Baseball tournaments bring visitors, business to South Charleston – Charleston Gazette-Mail (subscription)

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Baseball is turning into big business for South Charleston.

In recent months, the city has hosted numerous Little League, district and traveling baseball tournaments that have brought in thousands of people and packed local hotels and restaurants for several days.

With recently upgraded facilities, including three turf fields, the city is gaining traction when it comes to hosting large-scale sporting events. Local officials say it’s a big deal for sports fans and the city as a whole.

There have already been two traveling baseball tournaments held in the city this year.

The first had around 30 teams. The last one hosted more than 90 baseball teams from several states, said Chad Hatfield, a director with Tournament Time, the group organizing the events.

With the recent completion of two of the turf fields used for the tournaments, Hatfield said the city can expect more spike-clad baseball players and their families visiting the region in the future.

Tournament Time has helped negotiate rates for the teams and their families at three South Charleston hotels, Hatfield said. Those reservations have meant big business for those businesses, which have been booked to capacity.

“Anybody who can do simple math can figure it out,” Hatfield said.

But the flow of money doesn’t stop there.

Hatfield and South Charleston officials say the thousands of players, coaches and family members that travel with the teams are also frequenting local restaurants, movie theaters and other businesses.

The families attending these types of games, Hatfield said, look for places to play baseball, but they also seek out good places to eat and catch a show while they are in town for three days.

“They try to turn it into a mini vacation,” he said.

Gerald Burgy, South Charleston’s public works director, has repeatedly heard people at the games asking where they can get water, sports drinks and ice, because all of the local gas stations and convenience stores were sold out. It’s a big deal for South Charleston, he said.

“I think it has been a great experience for our community,” Burgy said. “It’s a win-win opportunity for us.”

Thousands of the people traveling to South Charleston for the games are not from the area, Hatfield said. In the recent tournaments, there were players and families from as far away as Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The influx of people offers an opportunity for the South Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau. It exposes the out-of-state visitors to South Charleston and the entire region.

“We just think it is fabulous,” said Bob Anderson, the executive director of the visitors bureau. “We’re just thrilled about it.”

Anderson said the influx of people coming into South Charleston for events like this has enabled the city to reinvest in infrastructure around town.

“We’re just booming,” Anderson said. “I have never seen the future for South Charleston look so bright.”

Reach Andrew Brown at andrew.brown@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4814 or follow @Andy_Ed_Brown on Twitter.