Batter Up!

Baseball fans have an abundance of options when it comes to catching a home run in the St. Pete/Clearwater area, so sit back, grab a hot dog and some Cracker Jacks and enjoy America's favorite pastime.

Spring Training

Baseball fans nationwide eagerly await the spring when they hear that magic phrase: "Play Ball." It means the players start filtering into camps ... spring training has arrived.

The St. Pete/Clearwater area has a long history of spring training. While the Philadelphia Phillies have trained in Clearwater since 1948, they aren’t the only Major League team to call the area their spring home. The Toronto Blue Jays call Dunedin home and the Phillies work out at the glistening Bright House Field in Clearwater, with the New York Yankees in nearby Tampa.

The players and teams are on display from mid-February, when workouts begin, until early April when they dispatch to their home cities for the regular season. Come check out baseball's best, up close, with the Florida Grapefruit League, Major League Baseball's Spring Training.

For more information, please visit www.floridagrapefruitleague.com

College Baseball

For the third year in a row, the St. Pete/Clearwater area opens the college baseball season. The 2012 Big East/Big Ten Baseball Challenge gest underway February 17th to the 19th. This is a jam packed weekend of college baseball featuring eight teams from each conference playing in 30 games at current and former Major Lague facilities in the St. Pete/Clearwater area. Teams play at Bright House Field and the Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, as well as Clearwater's Jack Russell Memorial Stadium, St. Petersurg's Al Lang Stadium and the Walter Fuller Baseball Complex.

For a complete schedule of events, please visit BigEastBigTenBaseballChallenge.com

International Baseball Returns

Spring baseball returns to Al Lang Stadium with a 10-game international series featuring six major league teams, as well as college and international squads.

From March 6 through March 18, baseball fans can return to one of Florida's first and most legendary venues for baseball, Al Lang Stadium, to enjoy this series which includes the 2011 World Cup Championship from the Netherlands as well as Team Canada. These exciting games include teams playing one another as well as the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburg Pirates, Atlanta Braves and college teams including St. Petersburg College.

For ticket information, please visit www.stpeteinternationalbaseball.com or call 727-551-3000 or 800-874-9005.