2026 ART WRIGHT MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT FAQ

The Art Wright Memorial Tournament is the largest baseball tournament in the Pacific Northwest. Over 400 teams participate in multiple divisions, ranging in age from 8-18. 

We'd like to provide an opportunity for all players who want to play more baseball to do just that. This shouldn't require being chosen for a club team, especially at 11 or 12 years old. Development, encouragement, and a love of the game build over time, and we like to nurture that.

Venom NW is comprised of players from two leagues -- 50% from Hollywood Rose City Little League Majors and 50% from Wilshire Riverside Little League Majors/Blue Sox. We'll have a roster posted soon.

The team will be led by Sloane Ford (Hollywood Rose City) and Mike Westling (Wilshire Riverside), with Alex Fuerst (HRC). If you're interested in joining the coaching staff, please reach out. 

Yes! You should be receiving an invite shortly. 

Games begin Saturday, May 23 in the early afternoon (around 1pm). All games will be at the Meadowdale Playfields in Lynnwood, Washington on turf fields. We'll play two games on Saturday and two Sunday, with a potential Monday game if we advance. Some games may be played under the lights in the evenings.

Venom NW will play in the 11U AA Development division. This means that we should be matched against other teams that are fairly new to tournaments and looking to build experience. We've spoken with the tournament director and he confirmed this is a great starter division for us. 

We have chosen the Courtyard by Marriott Seattle North/Lynnwood Everett as the team hotel. It's located 3.8 miles from the fields and offers free breakfast. We have contracted a room block rate of $117 a night if you sign up by April 23. 

No. Staying at the team hotel opens the door for bonding and extra hang time, but if you'd prefer to grab an AirBnB or stay with a nearby friend or relative, no problem. 

Our first game is early afternoon Saturday, so please arrive at Meadowdale Playfields by noon. If you're driving up Saturday morning, build in extra time for traffic -- it's Memorial Day weekend. Our final game will either be Sunday night or Monday morning/afternoon. 

We're currently designing our tournament uniform and will have cost and ordering details ready by April 15th. More info to come!

Yes! We know your player is busy with Little League and other sports, so we'll be as transparent and flexible as possible with pre-tournament practices. Practices are primarily for the team to meet, spend time together, and get comfortable playing on 50/70 fields. 

Little League Majors plays on 46/60 fields (46-foot pitching distance, 60 feet between bases). Tournament baseball at 11U uses 50/70 fields — a slightly bigger diamond that gives players more time to react and prepares them for the transition to full-size fields. It's a natural next step and great for players who are very close to transitioning to middle school. 

This is a USSSA tournament, so we'll be using USSSA-stamped  (sometimes called U-Trip) bats. If your player already has one, great. If not, we'll have team bats available. 

Venmo is the easiest. Please send to @sloaneford (last four digits of phone number are 3990).