Twenty teams registered for the event with hundreds of softballers converging on Waihōpai today, starting with a meet and greet at the Ball Park clubrooms.
Nearly 500 visitors associated with the teams have arrived "softball ready" in Invercargill for an exciting three-day tournament, with matches taking place at the newly laid out Ball Park and the Pirates Old Boys rugby park grounds.
Southland Evergreens organising committee member John Pankurst said the tournament was for over 35s who had generally played some form of representative softball in their time.
"It’s a biggie. There’s 15 teams that have come to Invercargill from the North Island and four from the South Island and then we have the combined services which is made up of army, navy, air force and police," Pankhurst said.
Games start at 9am tomorrow and finish at 4.30pm, with more games set for Saturday.
Pankhurst expected "some good-quality softball" would be played as a lot of veterans attending the tournament had represented New Zealand on the national and international stage.
"This tournament will be as much about a social event as it is about seeing some good softball being played.
"There’s a number of guys that will be coming who have played in age group teams, men’s teams and in different New Zealand teams.
"Garth Tattersfield, who pitched for New Zealand and was a member of the 1966 New Zealand softball team, which went to the very first World Series, he’ll be coming," Pankhurst said.
The final match will be played at 3.30pm on Saturday followed by a dinner at the Ascot Park Hotel in the evening.
"I’m busy praying to the weather gods every day and I think that we might just be lucky."
The park would be set up with marquees and barbecues and the public was "more than welcome" to attend, he said.
