NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – With the fall high school sports season just around the corner, the boys – and women and men – of summer are still going strong.

 

The next week or so features a plethora of baseball and softball games around the county, with the Berkshire Adult Baseball League finals this weekend, the North Adams Women’s Softball League tournament building to next Thursday’s semi-final round and the county’s newest summer offering: the 1791 Classic youth baseball tournament that gets underway on Friday in North Adams and Dalton.

 

The 1791 Classic is the brainchild – or Reign child – of Berkshire Reign baseball coach Kristopher Ireland.

 

Since 2022, the Reign program has been offering local youngsters a chance to develop their skills on the baseball diamond in Berkshire County and beyond, including road trips to compete in tournaments from Maine to Maryland.

 

Now, the non-profit is ready to offer the same experience in its backyard.

 

“Since 2022, 23 wanted to get a feel for the landscape, make some contacts out and about,” Ireland said this week. “The plan was always to host a tournament. We wanted to leverage Wahconah Park, but, obviously we can’t use that now. The surrounding towns have been awesome – Pittsfield, North Adams, Dalton.

 

“Ultimately, what I’d love to have is a 50- to 100-team tournament where could have a North County Division, Central County Division and South County Division and everyone meets at the new Wahconah Park for the final. That’s what I’m seeing in Upstate New York, seeing in Maine, seeing in Boston.