GARY | RailCats starting pitcher Chris Jones saw the multitude of young girls in softball uniforms in the stands on Sunday afternoon. The fact that 1,100 softball players jammed into The Steel Yard for NSA Day added to Gary's win.

The NSA World Series kicks off around the Region today with 212 teams competing and as many as 15,000 visitors in Northwest Indiana for the event that will end on Friday.

"It added a lot of atmosphere to the ballpark," Jones said. "It reminds me of when I was younger playing at the lower levels. It's nice to see kids out here supporting us."

Crown Point Girls Softball League president Vince Rock was part of bringing this event to the Region in 2007. It was such a success that the National Softball Association came back to the area because of the events that will take place beyond the games.

"This is a great start to the week," Rock said as players enjoyed a barbecue after the RailCats game, along with several skill competitions for the five age groups that will be competing on fields in C.P., Merrillville, Portage , Valparaiso, LaPorte and Michigan City.

In 2007 more than 4,000 people came to the event in Gary because the opening ceremony took place at The Steel Yard. This year the Square in downtown Crown Point will host the event. It is tonight after a parade around the old Lake County Courthouse.

"Coming to this with your teammates is a lot of fun," said C.P. 12-and-under player Brooklyn Turley. "It's more fun to come to a game like this with your friends than just your family."

RailCats general manager Roger Wexelberg was happy his organization could continue working with the NSA organizers. Of the 5,312 fans at Sunday's game, more than 20 percent were softball players, some coming from as far away as Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky.

"It's great that kids not from our area can see our ballpark and we hope that kids from our area will want to come back," Wexelberg said.

Tony Gilliland brought his 10-and-under team from the south side of Indianapolis for the tournament.

"Seeing the guys play baseball was fun," Indianapolis 10-year-old AdreAnna Jones said. "It was awesome. I've never been to a real baseball game before."

Bill Hunter, the NSA vice president, said the stage is now set for a great week of softball.

"This is the biggest week for a lot of these young ladies," Hunter said. "It's a good week of softball, but we have a lot of special events, too."

In addition to games, there is a pin-swapping party on the beach in Michigan City on Wednesday night.

"Spending time with your teammates makes this very fun," said Bryan Cooley, coach of Chesterton's Duneland Flyers team. "The girls have had a lot of fun watching the RailCats play, and this is a great start to a great week."

YOUTH SOFTBALL