More than 100 college baseball and softball teams, along with parents & fans, will begin to arrive in the Old Pueblo this week for the Tucson Invitational Games.

Games will be played mainly at Kino Sports Complex (baseball) and Lincoln Park (softball.)

Baseball:

Begins February 28 at 7:00PM and continues daily through March 30

Kino Sports Complex South Quad Baseball Fields & Kino Memorial Stadium

For a full schedule and more information, visit TIGsports.com/baseball

Softball:

Begins March 1 at 9:00AM and continues daily through March 18

Abraham Lincoln Park 8100 East Escalante Rd.

For a full schedule and more information, visit TIGsports.com/softball

Admission $6 per day for persons 12 years of age and older (under 12 free)

$25 for 7-day, weekly pass. (Good for unlimited access to both baseball & softball games.)

Available for purchase at the gate.

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Quick Facts:

• 3,000 athlete participants
• Around 7,000 spectators
• Approximately 9,000 hotel room nights generated
• Average stay in Tucson 6.2 nights*
• $7.9 million Estimated Economic Impact*

*Provided by Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tucson Sports

After a fun and snowy evening on the third night of the Desert Diamond Cup, the end of FC Tucson SoccerFest is just around the corner and FC Tucson wants all of Tucson to send the month-long soccer extravaganza off in style.

Saturday’s FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup final between Seattle Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network in front of a national television audience in prime time. Not only will the match be the final one held in Tucson but it’ll act as the bookend of MLS’s preseason and the final push toward the start of the 2013 season.

NBC Sports Network reaches nearly 80 million homes and all those eyes will be on the Old Pueblo to catch the first national glimpse of MLS soccer in 2013. For those who live in Tucson, it’s the best chance to show America why Tucson is such a soccer-mad city.

Not only will fans have the chance to be a part of nationally televised sporting event, they’ll also experience some other great perks by attending the final:

• A Champion Will be Crowned: Who doesn’t love watching a team lift a trophy following a game? Last season the LA Galaxy won the 2012 FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup after an exciting series of penalty kicks and then went on to win MLS Cup 2012. Will Real Salt Lake or Seattle make this a trend? You can watch for yourself!
• One Ticket, Two Matches: The final isn’t the only great part about Saturday. Fans who purchase a ticket for Saturday also get to watch the third-place match between the New York Red Bulls and the New England Revolution.
• Look to the Sky: Red Bull will be delivering the match ball for the final from the sky! That’s not a typo. The Red Bull Air Force will drop a man from a plane to deliver the match ball.
• Get $5 off Your Ticket: Fans can use the promo code “Soccerfest” to get $5 off any seat in the stadium. The code is only good until midnight Friday, so order your tickets online at www.fctucson.ticketsocket.com now!
• Get Your 2013 FC Tucson Tickets: Want to buy your 2013 FC Tucson season tickets? You can! Head over to the FC Tucson/Kino Sports Complex information table on the concourse to get the 2013 FC Tucson schedule and see the renderings of FC Tucson’s new stadium for 2014. Buy 2013 season tickets now and you automatically get in line for 2014 season tickets!
• The VIP Experience: Want to get closer to the MLS action than anyone else? Then buy some VIP seats for the final. Not only will you be sitting closer to the field than anyone but you’ll also have access to unlimited world-class catering and a free drink ticket. Plus there is an on-site bar in case your one free drink ticket isn’t enough.
• Can’t Beat the Weather: Wednesday’s snowpacolypse was fun for those who attended. But if good weather is your thing, then it won’t get much better than Saturday. The expected forecast is 65 degrees and clear skies.
• Start Your Engines: Audi of Tucson will be displaying their finest vehicles in the parking lot during tailgating hours and on the field in the VIP section. If you like cars and soccer, then Saturday will be a great night for you.
• Safety First: Tucson Medical Center will be handing out complimentary youth bike helmets to all the young fans in the crowd in an effort to promote health and safety in the community.
• Grab Your Gear: The Shop Tucson will be selling plenty of team gear in the concourse during the event. Whether you’re looking for MLS gear, Desert Diamond Cup event shirts or FC Tucson jerseys (you can even get the Audi of Tucson logo on them in time for the 2013 season) you can get it all in the concourse.
• Become a Cactus Prick: Nothing makes soccer more fun than the supporters’ culture and no supporters group is more fun than the Cactus Pricks, the supporters group for FC Tucson. If you love singing, dancing and showing your soccer passion for an entire match, then sit with the best supporters group in the Premier Development League.

There are plenty of reasons to come out to Saturday’s Desert Diamond Cup finals. But simply put: this will be a soccer party. So FC Tucson invites the community to come out and have fun on a Saturday night. It’ll be a night to remember.

The Tucson Padres, The Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau and The Sonoran Sports Commission are bringing the Vamos a Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta back to Tucson for the second year in a row, October 5-7 at Kino Stadium.

The tournament has expanded this year to include teams from the state of Sonora, as well as Sinaloa. The two returning teams are the Naranjeros de Hermosillo and Yaquis de Ciudad Obregon. New this year, are the Venados de Mazatlan and Tomateros de Culiacan. The four teams from the Pacific Coast League of Mexico (Liga Mexicana del Pacifico) will play in a tournament at Kino Stadium. A full schedule of games will be announced closer to the tournament date.

Last year, the three-day baseball fiesta drew an estimated 11,000-12,000 fans from both sides of the border.

Ticket Prices will remain the same from 2011, and will go on sale in the near future.

Reserved Seats: $12
General Admission: $8 for Adults / $7 for children 6-16, seniors age 55 and older, and military (with ID)
Groups 20 or More: $10 for Reserved Seats and $6 for General Admission
Multi-Day Pass: $30 for Reserved Seat (same seat, all days)

For updates visit tucsonpadres.com or visittucson.org. For information in Spanish go to vamosatucson.com