Ripken Baseball Experience coming to Disney World resort in2020
Cal Ripken Jr. is bringing his youth baseball academy to the Walt Disney World Resort in 2020.
Baseball players between the ages of 6-18 will be able to complete in high-level youth baseball tournaments at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
The players will be treated to an opening ceremony and have free time in the parks.
Ripken played 21 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles and was a 19-time All-Star shortstop. He earned the nickname “The Iron Man” after setting the professional baseball record for most consecutive games played (2,632).
The Ripken Experience at Walt Disney World Resort will encompass 11 ballfields – six youth-sized baseball fields equipped with lights for night games and five professional-sized fields, including The Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which hosted big-league spring training games for more than two decades.
“One of the core pillars of Ripken Baseball is to remember to have fun, so what better place to compete and maximize the family sports travel experience than right here at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort,” Ripken said. “We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic and internationally-respected brand as Walt Disney World to provide teams and their families with the most memorable experiences.”
“At Disney Sports, we create the best possible experience for all of the athletes who walk through our gates,” said Faron Kelley, vice president of Disney Sports. “Working with baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr., and his outstanding youth baseball academy, we will be taking the baseball experience at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to a new level of excellence.”
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex joins Ripken Baseball’s lineup of youth sports destinations, including the Ripken family’s hometown of Aberdeen, Maryland; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Across its facilities and national clinic tours, Ripken Baseball last year hosted more than 70,000 ball players from 42 states and eight countries.
More information on the experience can be obtained at this Disney Website – ripkenbaseball.com/walt-disney-world.