Multistate softball tournament coming to 17th Street Park

Although still under construction with a completion date of late this year, the 17th Street Park Regional Sports Complex now has its second major softball tournament lined up for early 2027.

A high school sports promoter based in Celebration, Florida, announced this week a 64-team event called the National High School Softball Invitational for April 1-3 at the north Sarasota County facility. Both Visit Sarasota County and Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources confirmed the tournament announcement.

A year in advance, Diamond 9 Sports is billing the tournament as a showcase of top softball talent. According to a news release, initial invitations have gone out with at least eight teams from around the country agreeing.

The Invitational will include four pools with 16 teams in each, all playing towards the championship game. Each team will be guaranteed four games, and losing teams will continue competing in a consolation bracket.

“The Invitational is more than a tournament,” Diamond 9 president Kevin O’Donnell said in a prepared statement. “It is a national showcase experience designed to bring together the best high school programs in the country into one championship-level environment.”

In December, Sarasota County announced a partnership with another sports-promotion company to bring a six-team college softball event, featuring Alabama, Baylor, Florida State, James Madison, Ohio State, and Texas State.

The 2027 Sarasota Classic will host 15 games over four days at the 17th Street Regional Sports Complex, which is scheduled for completion December 2026. Four games will be held each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and three on Sunday. All games will be held at the facility’s new championship field.

With an eye toward attracting overnight visitors for multiday events, the athletic complex at the park will feature three new adult softball fields with the supporting amenities such as restrooms, concessions, dugouts and more, at the entrance off 17th Street. South of the adult fields is an eight-field youth softball complex for Miss Sarasota Softball and other league uses designed to host large tournaments.

The championship field is oriented toward the northeast for optimum sunlight positioning with an outfield berm for spectator seating. The fields are divided into two quads, each with a center plaza for pedestrian movement wide enough to accommodate portable restroom facilities for large events and areas for food trucks. The cost of the project is estimated at $65 million.