Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Will Mager in action for the Humboldt Eagles 19Us.

By Ray Hamill — Get ready for a feast of baseball next week, as the Humboldt Eagles get set to host their annual summer tournament.

The action gets under way on Thursday and will feature 40 games in just four days.

A total of 16 teams will compete in 19U and 17U brackets, and the games will be played at three different locations in Eureka.

So there won’t be any shortage of action for local fans to check out.

In fact, the annual tournament is always the busiest week of the year in local baseball.

The 19U tournament will feature eight teams in two pools, including the touring Australia teams organized by former Humboldt Crabs player Steve Fish.

The NorCal Nationals also will make the trip, along with teams from Point Arena, the Bay Area and Eugene.

Most of the 19U games will be held at Belotti Field in Eureka (formerly Bomber Field) across from the Redwood Acres, with some games also taking place at the Redwood Fields in Cutten.

Game times range from 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, but Friday and Saturday will feature action all day long, with six 19U games scheduled on both days, starting at 9 a.m.

All eight teams will play on Sunday, with the top two seeds from each pool meeting for the championship at 2 p.m. at Belotti Field.

The 17U tournament, meanwhile, will feature a similar format with eight teams split into two pools, and all of the games will take place at the Redwood Fields and at St. Bernard’s.

Like the 19Us, the younger players will play four games on the opening day and six each on Friday and Saturday.

And like with the older players, the Nos. 1 through 4 seeds in each pool will meet each other on the final day of action, with the championship showdown between the top two seeds at 2 p.m. at the Redwood Fields.

It will be a busy week for local fans, but it should be a fun one.