January 4, 2024
The Indy 500 is in the record books for this year, but the call of “Start Your Engines!” still holds true for thousands of families getting ready to attend the largest youth baseball event on the calendar, the Triple Crown Omaha SlumpBuster.
By bus, RV, car or airplane, folks will be arriving in droves for the event, held over three sessions in June in and around Omaha, Neb. Session 1 (June 14-18) and Session 3 (June 21-25) are anchored by their Festival Nights, held at the Council Bluffs Recreation Complex and featuring music, vendors, skills challenges, inflatables, pin trading, an appearance from baseball comedian Domingo Ayala and the notorious Burning of the Bats, a fireworks/explosives show that draws thousands of fans and reliably takes your breath away with its scale and volume.
Now in its 21st year, the SlumpBuster (9u through 14u) runs parallel with another trusted Triple Crown offering, the Pathway Omaha event serving ages 16u (June 16-19) and 17u/18u (June 22-26). In partnership with Iowa Western Community College, teams will stay on campus and be immersed in a college environment with strong competition while college coaches direct and educate along the way.In total, we’ll welcome 670 teams from 37 states and book more than 20,000 hotel room nights during the month.
As many as 150 umpires come to town while action takes place on 71 fields at 25 complexes – for the 1,900 games on the docket, about 8,700 baseballs have been ordered as teams work their way through the brackets.Teams who play in the SlumpBuster come to town knowing their pool play slate will be scheduled to allow time to attend a College World Series game at beautiful Charles Schwab Field in downtown Omaha.Did you miss out? Here’s a quick way to get on the radar for 2024: https://bit.ly/45EE03W
“Our professional staff gets to work early on the details for the next SlumpBuster to come – the event has earned its position as a must-attend moment in youth sports, and we don’t take chances when it comes to preparation and planning,” said Jason McCoy, SlumpBuster event director. “When you see the energy at Festival Night, the enjoyment teams get at soaking in the environment around the CWS, and the determination of these athletes as they play the game they love, well, it’s a huge payoff for all that we put in during the offseason.”