The Chance Crawford Benefit Softball Tournament returns this weekend with 210 teams from 12 states vying for a variety of championships April 17-19. A total of 21 fields throughout Virginia’s Blue Ridge region will be used to make the three-day tournament a reality, including the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, the event’s headquarters.
Games also will be played on diamonds at the Botetourt Sports Complex, Salem Civic Center, Arnold R. Burton, Whispering Pines, Wasena Park, Huff Lane, Norwich Field, Fallon Park, and Oakey Field. The 2026 tournament will feature the following divisions – Men’s Upper, Men’s D, Men’s E, Men’s Recreation, Men’s 40-plus, Women’s Division and Coed. In addition, a homerun derby and a cookout will officially kick off the weekend for participants on Friday, April 17.
“The Salem community absolutely amazes me with its commitment to this event,” said Chance Crawford, the tournament’s namesake. “The fact that people throughout the entire region support this event on an annual basis is extremely gratifying.”
In the tournament’s four decades of existence, organizers have amassed nearly $1 million and put that money right back into the community. Individuals with health problems, as well as deserving college students who need financial assistance have benefited immensely.
These funds are also used to help support youth sports throughout the greater Roanoke Valley. In 2025, the foundation distributed $33,000 in scholarships and donations to deserving individuals and families.
In addition, the tournament provides a welcome boost to the local economy. In 2025, just under 3,500 players, coaches, umpires, and officials spent 2,112 total nights in hotel rooms in the valley. Hotels and motels in Salem, Roanoke, Botetourt County, and Roanoke County benefited from participants staying in over 46 different hotels, 15 homes, and a campground.
The Chance Crawford Softball Tournament began in the spring of 1981 to help a young Salem High School quarterback, Chance Crawford, who suffered a spinal cord injury during one of his football games. The purpose of the original event was to raise money to help Chance and his family with the expenses of his education, physical therapy, and other medical needs due to his injury. After Chance graduated from college, he was elected Clerk of Court for the City of Salem and the Chance Crawford Tournament Committee decided to continue the tournament in his honor but use the proceeds from the tournament to help those in need in the community with their own medical and education expenses.
For more information, please call Salem Parks and Recreation at (540) 375-3057 or contact the Tournament Director Scott Scharnus at sscharnus@salemva.gov.
