Town of Smithtown lands statewide tournament

In what could be a boon to both the St. James/Smithtown Little League and the Town of Smithtown, the New York State Softball Championship Tournament will be held here in July of 2023 and possibly beyond. 

Richard Tomitz, president of SJSLL, and Peter Russo, vice president, have been working closely with New York State little league officials, Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R)  and Little League District 35 (Western Suffolk) President Bill Sukow to make this possible.   

Girls in the 10 and Under, 11 and Under, and 12 and Under divisions will battle for NY state supremacy, and the games will be held at newly renovated facilities at Gaynor Park and Veterans Memorial Park, which are both in St. James, and Brady Park, which is in Smithtown.  

Tomitz and Russo, whose daughters Nadia and Isabella were on the winning 11 and Under team in 2022, are both excited to have this event come to town. It had been played in Rochester for the past several years. 

“This is a huge opportunity for Smithtown and our league to showcase where we live and our new fields,“ Tomitz said. “We plan to make it a great family weekend experience for not just the kids, but the adults, too, and I think it will be very beneficial for local businesses.” 

SJSLL is renowned for its gala opening and closing parades and ceremonies every spring,  and now that the deal has been signed off, Tomitz and the SJSLL board of directors will begin planning logistics, game schedules and events. 

“We are going to have Movie Night in the outfield, a carnival with bouncy houses, face painting — the whole nine yards,” Tomitz said.

This is a developing story. Look for more details on tbrnewsmedia.com and in The Times of Smithtown.