"The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance continues to be one of the most invaluable partners to USA Baseball and we are honored to continue working with them," said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO. "We have generated strong bonds with the local community and USA Baseball is excited to maintain a positive partnership with one of the premier sports tourism organizations in the country."

The partnership renewal highlights the economic impact USA Baseball has had within the Greater Raleigh area since its relocation to Cary, North Carolina in 2003. Since the original partnership was penned in 2006, USA Baseball has contributed major hotel room nights and visitor spending in Wake County behind the creation or relocation of six premier events to the USA Baseball National Training Complex, in addition to the annual training of its national teams and hosting of its national team development programs.

In the last three years, USA Baseball has contributed over 21,000 hotel room nights directly related to programming at the National Training Complex. Its economic impact in the Greater Raleigh area continues to grow, as evidenced by a 31% increase in room-night fulfillment from 2013 to 2015. USA Baseball is expected to contribute nearly 4,000 room nights alone during the 2016 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) from August 10-28.

"We are delighted to extend our partnership with USA Baseball," said Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. "Not only is USA Baseball a major economic engine for visitor spending in this region, but it is a first-class organization that continues to display the vision and leadership to grow the sport nationally, as well as right here in Wake County. And in terms of marketing and branding, we see incredible value in Cary being recognized as the home of amateur baseball in the United States."

In addition to serving as the presenting partner of the National High School Invitational, the GRSA will be an official sponsor for four additional events held at the National Training Complex annually. They are: the USA Baseball Irish Classic, Junior Prospect Classic, National Team Identification Series and Tournament of Stars.

In 2015 the GRSA was named Sports Tourism Organization of the Year by the National Association of Sports Commissions. The industry's most prestigious award is presented annually to the sports organization which has had the most significant impact on its community's economic growth and development.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Olympic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women's National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization's official websites: USABaseball.com, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.

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