World Wiffle Ball Championship Has New Home: Midlothian

MIDLOTHIAN, IL — Spring training might be just around the corner for Major League Baseball, but Midlothian is anticipating a different kind of bat-and-ball sport. Starting this summer, the village becomes the new home of the World Wiffle Ball Championship.

The 39th annual weekend event — the world's oldest Wiffle ball tournament — will be held July 14-15 at Memorial Park, according to statement announcing the championship. Established in 1980, the tournament had been played for 33 years in South Bend, Indiana, in the backyard of the University of Notre Dame. Recently, Skokie had been site for the event.

"The Midlothian Park District's Memorial Park was chosen for its modern six-ballfield complex, as well as for its proximity to downtown Chicago, two major airports, and its prior player bases in Skokie and South Bend," the tournament's announcement stated.

For anyone who hasn't been around a whiffle ball since their grade-school — or possibly, college — days, here's a look at how this summer's tournament will be played: Teams of five will compete on more than 30 miniature diamonds with 4-foot home run fences and use plastic bats and perforated plastic Wiffle brand whiffle balls.

A unique feature to this event is that if you can field a five-player team — and can pony up the $149 entry fee — you can compete in July's tournament. In fact, the championship touts how past events have featured teams from around the globe with men and women as young as 10 and as old as 70.

Go to the World Wiffle Ball Championship website for more information and an entry form to compete.

Image via World Wiffle Ball Championship