The flagship that started it all — a weekend of baseball played in honor of those who serve. Three championship brackets for most age groups, military-issue team trophies, and individual dog tags for the top players.
Honest note: the exact 2027 date is still being finalized with the tournament director — posted here as soon as it's locked.
Before the zombies, there was the salute. The Armed Forces SlugFest is the original — a spring gathering of youth baseball teams that plays to honor the men and women who serve, and the families who serve alongside them.
The 2025 running took place June 7–8, 2025 at Oatesdale Park in Martinsburg, WV. It returns in early summer 2026 as the sincere companion to October's SlugFest — same trusted crew, same guaranteed games, a different reason to take the field.
Every team is guaranteed a full weekend of baseball, seeded fairly and umpired properly. The colors come out, the anthem plays, and for two days the diamond belongs to those who wear — or wore — the uniform.
Two pool-play games Saturday set the seeding, then single-elimination Sunday decides it.
Most age groups run three championship brackets so more teams play for hardware (8U excepted).
Every team is guaranteed at least three games, weather permitting — no long drive for one and done.
Two umpires and game baseballs are provided for every game — you just bring the team.
Champions and runners-up take home military-issue team trophies. The standout players earn something they'll actually keep — individual military-style dog tags, handed out on the field.
It's the kind of hardware that means a little more when the whole weekend is about honoring service. Kids don't leave these in the trunk.
Military team trophies for first place and runner-up in every bracket, plus individual dog tags for the tournament's top players.
This tournament is more than a weekend of games. It stands with the organizations that support service members, veterans, and their families — the reason we take the field in June.