Special Olympics Forsyth County athletes will step up to the plate Saturday, Sept. 24 for the organization’s eighth annual Battle of the Bats tournament.

A total of 29 teams will travel to the softball invitational, which will be held at Central Park.

The teams come from all over Georgia, as well as nearby states, and this year Forsyth County has three teams in the running: The Golden Gloves, The Loose Cannons and The Mystic Batters.

The event began as “a desire to compete against other teams in preparation for the state game,” but soon grew into the yearly tournament.

“It started off as just some competitive competition, but then we decided to turn it into tournament play because that’s what we play at the state level,” Family Outreach Chair Linda Fitzpatrick said. “We wanted to turn it into more of a typical tournament and not make a big distinction between an ability and disability.”

The tournament also serves as a fundraiser for the local Special Olympics chapter and is touted as a community event to raise awareness of the organization.

More than 450 athletes and coaches are expected to come to this year’s event, which will be played on fields one-seven at the park at 2300 Keith Bridge Road.

Teams will line up at 8:30 a.m. to prepare for the opening ceremony, which will begin at 8:45 a.m. on field No. 7.

The event is open to the public, and no advanced registration is needed.