One of the biggest 16-inch softball tournaments in the state returns to Carroll this weekend, but it has a different name. The Bud Open was held in Carroll for 40-plus years on Father’s Day weekend, with last year being the last one. Not wanting to see the great tradition of the bud open go away, community members decided to host a new tournament. This is the first year of the Carroll Open, with 20 teams from around the state making their way to Carroll. Travis Aye, one of the tournament’s directors, says they get everything kicked off Friday night with an opening ceremony. Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
The first game Friday night starts at 7:00 p.m., with championship games slated for Sunday. Aye adds there is no cost to attend the tournament.
Aye states fans and players will not see a big difference between the Bud Open and the Carroll open, and the tournament has a hashtag called same tradition new name.
Aye says he hopes everyone can come and see some of Iowa’s best ball players play in Carroll. Again, the tournament is free to attend and runs from Friday, June 17 to Sunday, June 19.