The Bahamas Baseball Association (BBA) is preparing for yet another opportunity to put Bahamian baseball talent on display on a national stage.
The association is set to host the highly anticipated BBA Andre Rodgers National Baseball Championships, slated for Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 21, between the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium and the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex venues.
Baseball players from the various leagues on the island, and around the country, will battle for bragging rights in the in six-and-under (6U) T-Ball, eight-and-under (8U) Coach Pitch, 10-and-under (10U), 12-and-under (12U), 14-and-under (14U), 16-and-under (16U) and 20-and-under (20U) divions.
BBA President Clarence ‘CJ’ McKenzie is expecting a high-level competition to take place this weekend.
“We have been preparing and gearing up for the exciting and most competitive nationals ever,” McKenzie said. “We have seven divisions, and we have teams coming from Freeport, Long Island, Eleuthera and, of course, Nassau, all trying to be crowned champions in this year’s nationals. The level of play continues to rise, so we expect good quality games the entire weekend. We will have to wait and see who will be declared champions.”
There will be 33 teams competing from seven leagues in a round-robin format, with games taking place between the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium and Baillou Hills complex.
Competition begins today across various divisions, beginning with the Freedom Farm Baseball League (FFBL) going up against the Legacy Baseball League at 1 p.m. in the 16U division at the Andre Rodgers stadium.
The BBA facilitated a number of the country’s top players in the 14-and-under division showing up and playing at the recently completed 2026 PONY Baseball 14U Caribbean and Latin American Championships in New Providence.
The Bahamas Champs team finished second, while The Bahamas Host team ended in fourth overall.
McKenzie is expecting that same level of play to be displayed once again.
“We expect a high level of competition,” he said. “You have some superstars coming from a lot of the leagues in Nassau and Freeport. You have some big powerhouses like Freedom Farm, who are sending their top athletes. Some of these players are looked upon as future MLB [Major League Baseball] and professional players. Also, we will be selecting our all-stars for our second annual all-star weekend from the results and stats from this tournament, so there is a lot on the line. We expect great competition, and we are just looking forward to seeing who is going to come out on top in the seven divisions.”
He emphasized that tournaments of this nature help with the overall development of baseball in the country, which is the goal of the association.
“We continue to get the support of Corporate Bahamas and the government so that we continue to host the local and international tournaments, because that is where it is at,” he said. “The experience and exposure we get from those tournaments propels these kids to reach a higher level in baseball. A lot of these kids are gonna get college scholarships, and a lot of them are gonna go pro, and from that, you’re gonna find a few who would make it all the way up to the highest rank in Major League Baseball. We have a lot more tournaments on tap where we’re traveling or hosting, and we’re just gonna continue to do our best to make our sports in paradise initiative by the ministry one of the top in the Caribbean.”
Grand Bahama won most of the divisions last year, while the Freedom Farm Baseball League took the 12U division, and the Ed Armbrister Baseball League won the 20U division.
The opening ceremony for this year’s tourney will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday.
The bronze and gold medal games will start from as early as 9 a.m. on Father’s Day (Sunday).
Tickets are priced at $10 per day for adults and children over the age of 12. The tournament pass for all days costs $35.
Tickets are $5 per day for kids 3-12. Tournament passes for that age group are $18 each. Kids under two years old will be free of charge.
The Brice Newball Foundation is one of the tournament’s major sponsors.
