(Seguin) — Seguin will grow exponentially this weekend, with more than 5,000 people expected to arrive today for the start of the four-day Huber Nationals Softball Tournament. The event, hosted by the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce and the Fields at Huber Ranch, is expected to bring in just over 100 teams from all over the United States, and a handful from Mexico. That’s according to Event Chair Mary Andrews, who says the tournament continues to grow and improve each year.
“We can expect 100 teams right now, and we might have a couple more come in by the deadline. Five of those (teams) are going to be coming in from Mexico. So we are still considering this an international tournament,” said Andrews.
Andrews says she’s thrilled with the participation, but not shocked by the number of teams that signed up this year. She says they’ve all worked very hard to make this an event that teams don’t want to miss.
“It’s some of the work that Johnny Guerrero, (of the Fields at Huber Ranch), has done there. That’s really bringing them in. I think people being here the years previous, have enjoyed Seguin, and that brings them in here. I think we are all working together, and it’s just working out and it’s all coming together. Each year, it gets bigger and bigger. We are going to expect about 5,000 extra people floating around Seguin from that Thursday, June 27th through that Sunday, June 30th,” said Andrews.
The chamber encourages its members to put out the welcome mat for all of the visitors that will be in town over the next few days. Andrews says that people will definitely notice the presence of the teams in town for the tournament. She says they will eating, staying and playing in Seguin through this Sunday.
“We just want to make sure that everybody in the city knows that this is getting ready to happen, because the restaurants, the boutiques that are out there, the retailers — everybody out there, I think your foot traffic, as you probably know, is going to increase considerably. So we want to give them the heads-up, and make sure that they know that, so that everybody has a great time while they are here in Seguin. And then once again, we are going to tie it in with the Freedom Fiesta that’s going to be down there, because last year, we made a big impact on that as well. We had a lot of people coming in and visiting downtown,” said Andrews.
Games start today at the Fields at Huber Ranch on Huber Road, at the city’s Softball 4-Plex on Nelda Street, and at the Gary Complex on Airport Highway in San Marcos. Tickets are available at the gate for each game. Andrews says that she hopes that people will come out and watch some of these great players from around the country and Mexico compete. The teams are all expected to participate in the tournament’s opening ceremonies scheduled for 7 p.m. today in Central Park.