SPORTS: E'town Sports Park will be busy next year

Elizabethtown Sports Park’s preliminary 2013 schedule has been released.

It’s going to be in full swing in its first full season next year, with more than 40 events slated from the spring through the early fall.

The Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau released the schedule Friday, which includes 42 events that run from early March through September.

Janna Clark, the ETCB sports and sales director, said in a press release the events represent more than 2,000 sports teams, which translates into at least 50,000 visitors.

Details on events can be found at www.elizabethtownsportspark.com. As more events are confirmed, they will be added to the website. Events for next fall will be added early next year.

Seven sports – including youth soccer, adult soccer, youth baseball, girls’ fastpitch softball, women’s college fastpitch softball, lacrosse and football – are slated to come to the park. Former Elizabethtown High School standout and current New England Patriots player Brandon Deaderick will also have his football camp in June.

The Atletico Flames Spring Thaw Tournament, which runs March 2-3, will be the first event held at the sports park next year. It’s followed by five other events that month, including the Kentucky Baseball Players Association Shake the Rust tournament (March 9-10), the United Cup Soccer Tournament (March 16-17), ODP Intrastate youth soccer matches (March 23) and Battle of the Bats USSSA baseball tournament (March 23-24).

April’s schedule includes the Greater Midwest Baseball Bluegrass Bash (April 6-7), the Kentucky Pre-Season Championships (April 12-14), the Midwest Regional League U.S. Youth Soccer Midwest regional tournament (April 13-14), the National Soccer Coaches Association of America College Showcase – Central Tournament (April 19-21), Kentucky BPA Spring Bash tournament (April 20-21) and USSSA NIT Battle on the Diamonds (April 26-28).

Other month’s schedules are as follows:

May. Elizabethtown High School baseball Mother’s Day Classic (11-12), TravelBallSelect.com Regional Tournament (16-19), Kentucky Youth Soccer State Cup preliminaries (24-26) and Kentucky All-American Games baseball tournament (24-26).

June. Kentucky Youth Soccer Eurosport Challenge (1-2), KYS Presidents Cup (1-2) and Kentucky BPA Mid-Summer Mayhem Tournament (1-2), USSSA Kentucky state/regional championship (7-9), United States Adult Soccer Association State Cup (8-9), Mid South Championships baseball tournament (15-16), Youth Baseball Slugger Nationals Week 1 (21-27), Youth Baseball Slugger Nationals Week 2 (28-July 4), Brandon Deaderick Elite Skills Camp (29).

July. 3V3 Live Youth Soccer Tour (6), Cal Ripken 8- and 10-year-old state tournaments (10-14), The State Fair lacrosse tournament (13-14), the Bluegrass World Series baseball tournament (18-21).

August. Baseball Youth Elite Showcase (1-4), USSSA Elite Invitational baseball tournament (9-11), Flames Beat the Heat youth soccer tournament (10-11), TPS Premier Fastpitch Softball Tournament (16-18), End of Summer Shootout baseball tournament (16-18), BPA Battle of the Bats (24-25), Labor Day Bash baseball tournament (Aug. 30-Sept. 1).

September. GMB Fall Classic (7-8), Kentucky BPA Fall Bash (14-15), Elite Tournaments Fall Youth Soccer Invitational (21-22) and Touchstone Energy All ‘A’ Classic soccer tournament (28-29).