by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
The 2023 Wells Fargo Advisors Invitational will span three days this week and include teams from the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and as far away as Courtland, Chesapeake and the Eastern Shore.
According to tournament director and Lancaster High School coach Welby Saunders, the annual baseball and softball invitational will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 30, with middle school games. Junior varsity baseball and softball and varsity baseball games also begin that night. Play continues Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1.
The invitational brings thousands of players and spectators to Dream Fields in Kilmarnock with 24 teams playing in 25 games over the three days, said Saunders.
With six teams competing, there will be a “true” varsity softball tournament component to the invitational with third place, second place and championship games scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 30
Middle school baseball: Northumberland vs. Lancaster, 4 p.m., Field 3
Middle school softball: Northumberland vs. Lancaster, 4 p.m., Field 6
JV softball: Northumberland vs. King William, 6:15 p.m., Field 6
JV baseball: Middlesex vs. Northumberland, 6:15 p.m., Field 3
Varsity baseball: King William vs. Lancaster, 6 p.m., Field 5
Friday, March 31
JV baseball: Rappahannock vs. Gloucester, 4:30 p.m., Field 3
King William vs. Lancaster, 7 p.m., Field 3
Varsity softball: King William vs. Lancaster, 4:30 p.m., Field 6
Middlesex vs. Greenbrier Christian (GBC), 4:30 p.m., Field 2
Northumberland vs. Greenbrier Christian (GBC), 7 p.m., Field 2
Nandua vs. Lancaster, 7 p.m., Field 6
Varsity baseball: Nandua vs. Middlesex, 4:30 p.m., Field 5
Northumberland vs. King William, 7 p.m., Field 5
Saturday, April 1
JV baseball: Gloucester vs. Middlesex, 10:30 a.m., Field 3
Northumberland vs. King William, 1 p.m., Field 3
Rappahannock vs. Lancaster, 3:30 p.m., Field 3
JV softball: King William vs. Rappahannock, 11 a.m., Field 1
Rappahannock vs. Northumberland, 1 p.m., Field 1
Varsity baseball: Middlesex vs. Northumberland, 11 a.m., Field 5
Nandua vs. Lancaster, 1:30 p.m., Field 5
Varsity softball: Northumberland vs. Middlesex, 11 a.m., Field 2
Nandua vs. King William, 11 a.m., Field 6
#3 seeds play, 1 p.m., Field TBD
#2 seeds play, 1 p.m., Field TBD
Championship, undefeated teams, 3:30 p.m., Field 6