One of the province’s premier slo-pitch tournaments is leaving Orillia after 15 years, after Slo-Pitch National (SPN) and Slo-Pitch Ontario (SPO) announced the Northern Shootout will move to Barrie this summer.
The three-day tournament — previously held at various Orillia diamonds and highlighted by a popular home-run derby at the Jerry Udell Diamond at Tudhope Park — will now take place at the Barrie Community Sports Complex from June 20 to 22.
Each year, more than 80 men’s and women’s teams participated, travelling to Orillia from as far away as Windsor, Quebec and Sudbury. According to longtime tournament organizer Mike Borrelli, the event generated more than $450,000 annually for Orillia’s economy.
SPN president Trish Harrow-Rodic confirmed the City of Orillia was not involved in the decision to move the tournament and was not given a chance to retain it.
While meetings had been held in the past with Orillia civic officials and the mayor to discuss concerns over facilities and event barriers, Harrow-Rodic suggested the city and its on-the-ground staff were not particularly helpful.
“For most of the years that we have been hosting in Orillia, the city parks and recreation department has not been overly accommodating in assisting with the planning or execution of the event,” she said.
“The event has always been successful not because of the efforts of the city staff but because of the slo-pitch community that stepped up, volunteered, and helped cover many of the responsibilities that are typically handled by local city staff and recreation departments.”
A significant factor in the tournament’s move is a change in its status. Starting this year, it will serve as a 2026 Canadian qualifier, a new designation following the merger of SPN and SPO.
“Based on this major change, we could not host the event on a baseball diamond,” Harrow-Rodic said.
Barrie became the clear choice for relocation after successfully hosting the 2024 national championships. The Barrie Community Sports Complex offers 12 diamonds in one location, with additional fields available if needed, making it a more convenient and functional venue, Harrow-Rodic told OrilliaMatters.
“In 2024, the City of Barrie played host to the 2024 national championships, where they rolled out the red carpet and provided outstanding facilities and customer service to event organizers,” she said.
“There will be city staff on site maintaining facilities for the duration of the event, and concessions, washrooms, and a number of other event planning details are all completely taken care of by hosting at this new venue.”
Players and other members of the local slo-pitch community had previously voiced frustrations over Orillia’s facilities. When asked by OrilliaMatters if Barrie’s superior facilities and on-site groundskeeping played a role in the decision to move the tournament, Harrow-Rodic said, “Definitely.”
Orillia has long been a hub for slo-pitch, boasting one of the largest leagues in Ontario with 73 teams. However, Harrow-Rodic said the city’s facilities have failed to keep pace with the sport’s growth.
“The City of Orillia’s slo-pitch community is one of the best in Canada, and they deserve better facilities,” she said. “With 73 teams participating in the local league within the City of Orillia, they have been hoping for facility enhancements and additions for years. This event has simply outgrown the facilities in Orillia.”
Despite the tournament’s departure, she expressed confidence the sport will remain strong in Orillia.
“Slo-pitch in Orillia was strong before the Shootout event was conceived. It will continue to be strong after,” she said. “The leagues are extremely organized and well run and continue to offer tremendous competition for the teams in Orillia.”
Melissa Gowanlock, the city’s manager of communications, issued a statement recognizing the tournament’s contributions while reaffirming the city’s broader commitment to sports tourism.
“The City of Orillia values the many tournaments and sporting events hosted in our community and recognizes their significant contributions to our local economy and sports culture,” she said.
“Events like the Northern Shootout have played an important role in bringing athletes and visitors to Orillia, and we appreciate the impact they have had over the years.”
She also pointed out the city supports sports tournaments through its policies but noted event organizers are responsible for meeting their own logistical needs.
“As part of our upcoming parks, recreation and culture master plan, we will continue to assess the future needs of all sports in Orillia, including slo-pitch,” Gowanlock stated. “To further this commitment, Orillia council recently approved sport tourism as an eligible recipient under the city’s grant program.”
For now, the Northern Shootout is moving on, but Harrow-Rodic didn’t rule out a return to Orillia — if the city were to invest in better facilities.
“All cities are welcome to contact us to discuss options for bidding on events,” she said.