National Youth Baseball Championship Returns To Memphis This August

MEMPHIS, Tenn., July 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fifth Annual National Youth Baseball Championship returns to Memphis August 23 - 27 with a new title sponsor, HotelPlanner.com and new television partner, CBS Sports Network.

Now known as the HotelPlanner.com National Youth Baseball Championship (HotelPlanner.com NYBC), the tournament brings together 12 of the nation's top 12-and-under (12u) teams representing eight youth sports organizations to determine the "Best of the Best."  New Era® will continue their involvement as presenting sponsor.

New this year, the cable channel CBS Sports Network will carry the games live.  The Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For the fifth year, MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball, will provide online coverage of the tournament.

"This event gets better every year," said Eddie Einhorn, Vice-Chairman and Co-Owner of the Chicago White Sox and the driving force behind the HotelPlanner.com NYBC.  "In addition to the new title sponsor, we have a great new television partner in CBS Sports Network and the 12-team format will make it even tougher to take home the championship trophy."

Youth sports organizations represented in the championship are American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU), Babe Ruth Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF), PONY Baseball, Super Series Baseball of America, and United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA).  These elite organizations have a combined total of over 8 million participants.

"In the past these groups each had their individual champions, but now compete to determine the true national champion," Einhorn said.  "To make it more exciting, the tournament's executive committee will invite an additional four teams and the number of games will increase," Einhorn explained.  To accommodate these improvements, 10-and-under competitors will now have to wait until they are older to compete. 

CBS Sports Network is available to 99 million homes nationwide. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

MLB.com, which has produced coverage of the event since its inaugural tournament in 2008, will continue in that role as well as provide global access via the Internet.

"As the largest online group travel company Hotelplanner.com remains committed to helping make youth sports team travel more affordable," said HotelPlanner.com CEO Tim Hentschel. "We are excited to partner with Eddie Einhorn, who shares in our vision of making youth sports available to everyone." Joining HotelPlanner.com, New Era®, the official cap of Major League Baseball and the National Football League, AutoZone and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau as tournament sponsors is Diamond Sports, the official baseball supplier to the HotelPlanner.com NYBC.

"The quality of play during these championships is incredible," reports Leigh Fox, President of Gameday Baseball.  "Baseball fans will see some unbelievable baseball at our award-winning facility when they join us at Gameday's First Tennessee Fields."

About Gameday Baseball and Gameday's First Tennessee Fields

Gameday Baseball is an operating entity of the Gameday Healthy Kids Foundation.  Its mission includes encouraging youth to participate in sports and healthy lifestyle habits.  Gameday's First Tennessee Fields feature manicured playing surfaces for ages 6 through college level. The complex features 10 lighted fields, a playground area, unequalled amenities for spectators, a main clubhouse, the Sports Cafe, and several concessions locations. Church, recreational, Minor (AA), American (AAA), National (Major) level teams, as well as middle schools, high schools, and NCAA Division I and II and NAIA baseball and softball teams play on the fields. For more information, go to www.gamedaybaseball.com.

For Gameday Baseball and Gameday's First Tennessee Fields, Contact:
Becky West or Bob Pipkin at 901-682-3839

SOURCE National Youth Baseball Championship