Sports Events

Here you'll find information about tournaments and other sporting events in Mesa and the East Valley.

PLAY BALL! MESA GEARS UP FOR WAC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
Men's Division I Baseball May 26 – 30, 2010 ~ HoHoKam Stadium

(MESA, Ariz.) – Don't miss this action-packed tournament in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Hosted at Mesa's HoHoKam Stadium May 26 - 30, the Men's Division I WAC Baseball Tournament is set to feature some of the nation's best intercollegiate competition in the Western states.  Seven teams will compete in this double-elimination event with the winner earning the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament held later this summer. On deck to compete is Hawai‘i, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Sacramento State, Nevada, New Mexico State and San Jose State.

Advance tickets for this year's tournament can be purchased online at www.VisitMesa.com/WacBaseball. Tickets are $30 for an all-session pass including access to a guaranteed 10 games; daily passes are also available for $10. On day of game, tickets may be purchased at the Mesa HoHoKam Box Office located at 1235 N. Center Street, 480-644-4451. Food and beverages will be available during the tournament. For a complete tournament schedule, featuring both afternoon and evening game options, click here.

The WAC Baseball Tournament is no stranger to the state of Arizona and the City of Mesa. The league's championship has been played in Arizona nine times (1963, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78) and the event was held in Mesa in 1971 and 1973. As a sports destination, Mesa shines offering some of the nation's best training facilities for field sports paired with unbeatable year-round weather and award-winning hotels.

Mesa has been recognized as one of the country's most desirable destinations for hosting dynamic sporting events and athletic competitions on all levels: amateur, youth, collegiate, and professional. Hohokam Stadium is best known as the winter home of the Chicago Cubs and is major league baseball's most popular spring training venue. Boasting one of the largest capacities in the Cactus League, more than 240,000 attendees pass through its gates each March. In addition to hosting Cactus League Spring Training, Hohokam Stadium is also the home of the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. Hohokam Stadium and adjacent training facility opened in February 1997. The stadium seats 13,030 and includes one practice field and one practice infield.

SOUTHWEST PREP CLASSIC PRESENTED BY COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT PHOENIX-MESA

Inaugural event to feature four pre schools at MCC

The DREAM (Developing Resources through Education and Athletics in Mesa) Foundation and the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau are pleased to announce the inaugural Southwest Prep Classic presented by Courtyard by Marriott Phoenix-Mesa scheduled for January 29-31, 2010 at Mesa Community College.

Teams participating in this round-robin event are Impact Academy (Las Vegas, NV), Raleigh's Finest Academy (Oklahoma City, OK), South Kent School (Kent, CT), and Westwind Prep International (Phoenix, AZ).

Players of interest in the tournament include:

Westwind Prep International

Jamal Franklin, 6'5" - San Diego State University
Ludavic Ndaye, 6'9" - Cleveland State University
Tony Snell, 6'8" - University of New Mexico
Freddie Wilson, 6'2" - Seattle University

South Kent School

Nemanja Durisic, 6'8" - uncommitted
Chris Johnson, 6'6" - USC, Seton Hall, Cal State-Northridge
J.J. Moore, 6'6" - University of Pittsburgh
Russell Smith, 6'2" - University of Louisville

Raleigh's Finest Academy

Tyler Earls, 6'4" - USC, Lamar, Middle Tennessee State
Julian Robinson, 6'8" - uncommitted
Edward Williams, 6'2" - ASU, USC, Florida International, North Carolina State

Game Schedule

Friday, January 29: 6 pm - Raleigh's Finest vs. South Kent; 8 pm - Westwind vs. Impact
Saturday, January 30:  1:30 pm - Impact vs. Raleigh's Finest; 3:30 pm - South Kent vs. Westwind
Sunday, January 31:  10 am - Impact vs. South Kent; Noon - Westwind vs. Raleigh's Finest

Site of the six-game event is Theo Heap Gym on the campus of Mesa (AZ) Community College, 1833 West Southern Avenue, Mesa. Presenting sponsor and host hotel is the Courtyard by Marriott Phoenix-Mesa, 1221 South Westwood Avenue, Mesa.

If you have any questions or need information, please contact Marc A. Beasley at 602.321.1369 or marc.beasley@cox.net.

MESA SPORTS & GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY TEAM UP TO HOST
NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championships
Longbow Golf Club Set to Host 2010 Tournament

Officials from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) awarded Mesa host duties for the 2010 NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championships, May 12-15, with practice rounds beginning May 10-11, 2010. The tournament will be held at Longbow Golf Club and co-hosted by Mesa Sports Tourism & Development and Grand Canyon University.

“Landing the Women's NCAA Golf Championship is another great example of Valley leaders working together for a common goal,” said Jon Schmieder, president of Phoenix Regional Sports Commission. “Mesa is a prime example of a community reaching out to partners to secure quality events for the entire Valley.”

Newly formed Mesa Sports & Tourism Development, operated by the Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau, worked in tandem with Grand Canyon University and Phoenix Regional Sports Commission to secure the event. This tournament will represent the first time Grand Canyon University has hosted a championship-level event in Mesa. Considered leaders in the tournament hosting industry, the university has hosted numerous NCAA regional and conference championship golf tournaments in the past, most recently the 2009 NCAA Division II Women's West Regional at The Legacy Golf Resort.

“Grand Canyon University has had great experiences with championship golf, having hosted NCAA regional and national events in the past. We are extremely excited to partner with the city of Mesa in hosting this national championship event,” said Grand Canyon University Director of Athletics B. Keith Baker.

Pristine playing conditions will be on deck when the May tournament takes place next spring. Longbow Golf Club was recently ranked as one of the 2009 “Top 100 Resort Courses in The Country” by Golfweek magazine. The 7,003-yard Ken Kavanaugh-designed course boasts expansive fairways and infinite shot making choices giving the competition an anticipated level of excitement. Hosting the event in Arizona will showcase challenging, desert golf to some of the best teams in the country.

“We are extremely honored about being chosen as the host facility,” said Jay Larscheid, director of golf at Longbow.  “It will be a great opportunity for us to bring another great event to Longbow and enable us to work with Mesa on making this championship a memorable one for the players, coaches and spectators.”

Last year's tournament was hosted by The University of Findlay and held at the Findlay Country Club in Findlay, Ohio. It was here where Nova Southeastern University clinched the title with a 72-hole score of 1,230 after four rounds of competition. For the 2010 competition, Grand Canyon University is pinning its hopes on star golfer Jennifer Lutz, who was selected as an individual last year to the 2009 NCAA Women's Regional Tournament. She will be returning to Grand Canyon University for her senior year and is a Mesa resident that plays regularly at Longbow Golf Club.

As a sports destination, Mesa is fast leading the charge as a top collegiate host in the West. The NCAA announcement comes on the heels of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announcing it is hosting their Men's Baseball Tournament, Division I in Mesa in 2010, 2011 and 2012. According to bureau estimates, more than 65% of room nights in Mesa generated as a result of the Mesa CVB's efforts can be contributed to athletic competitions held in the city.

“Nationally, Mesa is gaining recognition as a well-rounded, in-demand sports destination,” said Aaron Muth, sports development manager for the Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The NCAA selecting Mesa to host the 2010 Championships is just the latest testament to that fact.”

The VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge

2nd Annual Desert Duel Memorial

Amare Stoudemire Basketball Academy