The 11th annual Octorara Invitational Indoor Wiffle Ball Tournament will be held in the Octorara Junior-Senior High School and Intermediate School gymnasiums on Friday, Feb. 24, starting at 4 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 25, beginning at 8 a.m.

Each year, about 40 teams take part in the tournament, which is open to male and female players from fourth grade through adult. "There are three different circuits, as we call them," explained Phil Capotrio, one of the event organizers. "Rookie is for fourth- through sixth-grade (students), Junior is for seventh- and eighth-graders and Senior is for grade nine through adult. There is no age limit."

Wiffle ball is played using a lightweight bat and a wiffle ball, which is hollow and made with plastic. Like in baseball, the goal is to score the most runs.

"The games are a half hour with (a team of) five players. There are traditional wiffle ball rules, and we follow them," Capotrio said, noting that all regulations are posted on the event website. "Most people bring their own bats, but we have wiffle balls. People tape up their bats and make them look cool."

He said that wiffle ball allows people of different athletic abilities to participate. "It's become pretty popular, especially with the adults. It is played in a small space with (short-distance) running," said Capotrio. "We have some good ballplayers that compete, but most people do it for the fun of it."

According to Capotrio, the first Octorara Wiffle Ball Tournament was held in 2011. "The tournament founder was Phil Rudisill, an Octorara High School teacher and assistant baseball coach," he said. "The tournament (continues to be a) way for the booster program to raise money for the (Octorara) Junior-Senior High School baseball teams for equipment, field maintenance and other important items."

In addition to crowning the tournament champions, organizers award a prize for the best-dressed team in each division. "People get creative. Sometimes they dress as branches of the military," said Capotrio. "Somebody wore pajamas one year - whatever you can think of."

Spectators are also invited to attend. "We are encouraging all members of the community, whether they are participating or not, to come out to this fun event," Capotrio said. "We will have good concessions, cool (giveaways) and some good wiffle ball."

A fee will be charged per team. To register and for more information, visit https://sites.google.com/octorara.org/octwiffle/home. The deadline for registration is Monday, Feb. 6. The Octorara campus is located at 226 Highland Road, Atglen.