VIDALIA — Travel teams from Jackson, Brookhaven, Central Louisiana and Monroe will take on local teams tomorrow in the first-ever Fred Falkenheiner Memorial Tournament.

Shaun McDonald, who will coach his 12-year-old Advanced Sports Brave team in the tournament and is organizing the event, said Falkenheiner meant so much to the community that they decided to name a tournament after him. Falkenheiner ran leagues and was a volunteer for Dixie Youth Baseball for several years.

“He really made youth baseball big,” McDonald said. “Even when I was a kid playing in Vidalia, you always heard that name.”

Fifteen total teams will participate in the tournament at the Concordia Recreation District 3 Complex, with tri-parish teams from Monterey and Vidalia playing at 9:30 a.m. Advanced Sports will play against a Brookhaven team and the 10-year-old Vidalia squad will take on a team from Jackson at 10 a.m.

“That team is probably one of the top teams in the south, if not the country,” 10-year-olds coach Kemp Hairston said.

Enough 10-year-old teams (four) will be at the tournament for United State Specialty Sports Association rules to come into play. Therefore, in the 10-year-old contests, points will count in the USSSA standings.

Also participating will be coach pitch teams.

Hairston hopes to draw a large crowd with the quality of talent performing at the event.

“If people saw how these teams play at other tournaments, and the interest that it draws, it’s big to host a tournament like this,” Hairston said.