SMYRNA, N.C. — A big softball tournament is headed to Eastern North Carolina.
Down East Girls Softball League has announced that they will host the 2022 Eastern North Carolina District 5 Babe Ruth All-Star Girls Softball Tournament beginning on Wednesday, June 15.
The Down East Girls Softball League was established in 1997. It is rooted in a rich history of
women’s athletics dating back to the 1930s and 1940s in the athletic programs of the then
Down East area high schools of Atlantic, Beaufort, Harkers Island, and Smyrna. Many of our
League’s team managers, coaches, and players are descendants of those early pioneering young
female athletes.
Opening ceremonies will be held at East Carteret High School with the five-day tournament being held June 15, through June 19, at the Carteret County Parks and Recreation Facility at Eastern Park in Smyrna, NC. The League is anticipating over 300 athletes, ages ranging from 5 – 18, their coaches and over 1000 additional fans to travel to the Down East area of Carteret County over the course of the tournament.
“We [the League], as a whole, are extremely excited and full of anticipation to we host the 2022
District-5 Babe Ruth Softball Tournament,” Justin Parrish, League President, stated. “We have
met many obstacles over the past few years and have met them head on. This community is so
heavily involved and dedicated to the future of our youth, that they have taken on many
roles…to help make all these ideas and dreams come to fruition. I am humbled to be a part of
this group, these families, and these friends.”
The athletes in each age group represent the top athletes from the District-5 member leagues.
The District-5 member leagues include Down East Girls Softball League, Havelock Girls Softball
League, New Bern Babe Ruth Softball, Newport Girls Softball League, Pamlico County Girls
Softball, Swansboro Baseball and Softball League, and Western Carteret Girls Softball League.
The League’s 8U and 12U 2021 All-Star teams won the 2021 District-5 title and the 2021 ENC
State Title.
Information on tournament events, game schedules, and bracket standings can be found by
visiting the League’s website at www.degirlssoftball.com and clicking on the 2022 District 5
Tournament tab from the League’s home page.
