Aiken locals hit the field for a wiffle ball tournament at citizens park on Friday evening

On June 28, area residents came out to play in the City of Aiken Wiffle Ball Tournament. The tournament was organized by the city’s parks, recreation and tourism department. Three teams of 4-5 players ages 16 and over hit the fields at Citizens Park, all aiming to bring home the cash prize of $250 reserved for the tournament champions.

The award money wasn’t the only incentive for playing — according to City of Aiken Athletic Program Coordinator Drew Epps, the game inspires nostalgia and is good exercise.

“It’s a fun sport, a lot of people played wiffle ball when they were younger… it’s a way to stay active, it’s something that gets the blood flowing,” Epps said.

According to Epps, wiffle ball is “like a laid back version of baseball.” In this sport, players use plastic bats and balls to play shorter length games on a condensed field.

Epps said the City of Aiken held a similar wiffle ball tournament in the fall and decided to try it again for the summer.

With three teams, the tournament was structured as a best two out of three competition. The winning team was “Wiffle House,” whose players included Ben Tripp, Brayden Tripp, Shelton Shealy and Jalen Raysor.

Two members from the winning team spoke about why they enjoy the game.

“It’s just a good time to be out here with the boys, and just seeing everybody else out here,” said Raysor. “It’s just a chill, good time.”

Ben Tripp said that he and his friends grew up playing wiffle ball, so playing it today “brings the competitive nature back out of you.”