The Traverse City Pit Spitters will host the 2019 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball (GLIAC) Tournament May 8-12 at the team's Chums Corner ballpark.

The GLIAC Tournament was previously played for several years at the Athletes in Action Sports Complex in Xenia, Ohio, and then at the Corner Ballpark in Detroit in 2018. “It is very exciting for GLIAC Baseball that we are moving our tournament to a great venue like Traverse City,” says Davenport University baseball coach Kevin Tidey. “The experience as a whole is something that our student-athletes will really enjoy.” Pit Spitters first-year manager Josh Rebandt is the Davenport pitching coach.

Tournament game schedules, times, and ticket sale details will be announced at a future date.

"The Traverse City region is home to an incredible community,” says Wayne State University baseball coach Ryan Kelley. “Obviously the ballpark is impressive, but the Grand Traverse and Leelanau county residents are very welcoming and supportive of athletics. The community, facility, and environment setting will generate a memorable championship experience for GLIAC baseball student-athletes. A special thanks to TC Baseball LLC for hosting our conference championship tournament.”

The tournament is the first large-scale event announced for the ballpark since Traverse City Baseball LLC, an investment group led by the Detroit Tigers-affiliated minor league baseball team West Michigan Whitecaps, bought the former Traverse City Beach Bums team and Wuerfel Park ballpark last September. The organization held a press conference in January announcing that the new team, which will play in the Northwoods League, will be called the Traverse City Pit Spitters. Wuerfel Park is also planned to be renamed, but the organization is still soliciting potential corporate sponsors and has not yet announced a new stadium name.

“We are thrilled to be hosting the GLIAC conference tournament this May and look forward to showcasing post-season collegiate baseball,” says Pit Spitters CEO Joe Chamberlin. “This event is a perfect example of one of our key organizational priorities: finding new ways to use the ballpark that bring excitement and community engagement to Traverse City and northern Michigan.”