MCYSA’s Summer International Championships set to return for 31st year

The McHenry County Youth Sports Association’s Summer International Championships is only two days away as the popular youth baseball tournament enters its 31st year.

This year’s tournament field has 100 teams, including nine international teams representing Japan, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The tournament will be split into two sessions (Friday-Monday and July 18-21) with games played at various parks and fields across McHenry County. The main slate of games and Opening Ceremonies for Session 1 will take place at Lippold Park’s Mickey Sund Complex in Crystal Lake. Other tournament games will be spread across locations in Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, McHenry and Woodstock.

The first MCYSA tournament was held in 1993 and was known as the Continental Baseball Association World Series. Over the years, the tournament has grown significantly to include more teams and more age groups. With 99 teams registered, this year’s tournament field is the largest since 2019. In addition to nine international teams, there are 21 teams from outside Illinois.

This year’s field also will feature its first team from North Dakota, which makes it the 38th state represented in the event’s storied history.

Multiple major leaguers have competed in the tournament, including Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Benintendi of the White Sox. Local players to compete in the tournament and currently in the MLB include Nick Martini (Cincinnati Reds), Bobby Miller (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Quinn Priester (Pittsburgh Pirates).

Both sessions will feature games at the 15U, 13U and 11U levels. For both sessions, there will be a field of 24 teams at the 15U level, 16 teams at the 13U level and eight teams at the 11U level. There also will be a smaller 8U field. International teams are assigned to separate pools to maximize the number of teams that get the opportunity to play an international team in pool play.

The Opening Ceremonies for Session 2 will again be held at Lippold Park’s Mickey Sund Complex and take place July 18. Crystal Lake Central, which earned its first state championship in baseball earlier this month by beating Lemont 3-2, will be honored. Many members of the current team, including head coach Cal Aldridge and assistant coach James Cormier, have played in the tournament.

There is no cost of admission for spectators. Additional information for the tournament can be found at mcysasports.org.