Thursday, May 26, 2021 - Sallisaw is making a name for itself as a prime location for sports tournaments, attorney Frank Sullivan III (pictured above) told guests Wednesday at the May membership meeting of the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce, and the future is looking even brighter.
Sullivan said the city will be the host of another state Little League baseball tournament this year, and the field will include two local teams, one coached by Damon Tucker and Bryan Warner and another coached by Kyle Waters and Kyle Henson. The 16-team tournament will be from July 13-17 at the Sallisaw Sports Complex.
Sullivan said the city will also host a pair of regional baseball tournaments, one for T-ball July 1-3 and a coach-pitched tourney July 6-10.
“There are so many people around the community who have given so much” to make these tournaments possible, Sullivan said. “Banks and businesses have stepped up to sponsor fields (at the Sports Complex) and I can't even describe how wonderful the city has been,” he said. “We cannot say thank you enough.”
Sallisaw hosted its first state youth baseball tournament in 2017, Sullivan said. In 2020, Sallisaw's team, led by Coach Brad Pack, won the tournament, even though they only had eight players on the field.
Sullivan said the sports facility is just the beginning. “We have such a great complex. It's just one piece of the puzzle, though. We have such good people here in Sallisaw. We must keep improving,” he said.
Also at the meeting, Rhonda Nicholson, (left) Sallisaw Chamber President, presented Firstar Bank employees with a plaque for being the chamber member of the month.
In other business, representatives of the Sallisaw NOW Coalition and the Cherokee Nation discussed plans for adding a 5K Fun Run, as well as a half marathon, to next year's Diamond Daze celebration.
Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer
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