EASLEY — The tournament’s still two weeks out, but the City of Easley hopes that the tenth year that the city has hosted tye Big League World Series will be the best yet.

This year’s tournament will be played July 28 through August 4 at the J.B. “Red” Owens Complex.

Tournament Director Jon Humphrey said hundreds of volunteers have been working hard to prepare for the series and to see that the tournament goes off without a hitch.

The series will see five local teams, five international teams and the local host team square off for eight days of great baseball.

Each team is comprised of 17 players, age 16-18, and three coaches.

The championship game will air live on ESPN at 8 p.m. Wednesday, August 4.

The games will also be aired on the Internet at youthsportslive.com,

Fans can also listen to the games on WCCP 104.9 and its Web site, www.wccpfm.com, Humphrey said.

Internet streaming allows families who may not be able to travel to South Carolina to still follow their teams through the tournament, Humphrey said.

Easley benefits from the exposure that hosting the tournament brings, Humphrey said.

“There’s a rumor that people don’t stay in our hotels (during the Series), that they stay in Clemson,” he said. “That’s not the case. They stay in our hotels, they eat at local restaurants, they buy our gas, they buy our snacks.

“They’re spending money to help out our businesses here,” Humphrey said.

Before play starts on July 28, the series will once again officially kick off with a Fan Fest July 27, held in cooperation with radio station B93.7.

Bands Cartel!! and Boys Like Girls will headline the festival, which will also feature a home run derby, Humphrey said.

For Series ticket information, visit www.bigleagueworldseries.com.