BELLEVILLE – The third annual Wounded Warriors Wiffle Wars will offer a slow-pitch wiffle ball tournament, raffles, food and more fun to support the troops.
On July 26, 2025, community members are invited to 100 Eagle Drive in Belleville for a fun day that will support the Wounded Warriors Project. Organizer Hayden Schaefer explained that the wiffle ball tournament is “just a good hangout” for all who attend. The event honors SSgt. Tanner Hackstadt and Sr. Airmen Marcus Smiley while raising money for a great cause.
“Basically, it’s a wiffle ball tournament, but it’s really just a day of fellowship for everyone, to get the community to come out and recognize the two young men of close families in our group that unfortunately passed away,” Schaefer said. “I know O’Fallon and the Metro East area are big about community, which I love about that area. I think that’s something that area does extremely well. So to just get the news out and allow people to come support the troops and show love to them is something we really desire to do.”
Games start at 9:30 a.m. on July 26. Teams must have a minimum of four players and a maximum of five players. Organizers can help connect you to a team if necessary. It costs $25 per player to participate in the double elimination tournament.
In addition to the slow-pitch wiffle ball games, attendees can play bags, participate in raffles, enjoy food and more. All proceeds from the raffles and the competition go to the Wounded Warriors Project. This year, Schaefer hopes to raise $3,500 for the nonprofit.
“Wiffle ball is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s just a good day of community,” he said. “But still, wiffle ball is a fun little hobby. We all grew up playing it in our backyard at some point, so I think it’s just a cool way to connect people and probably feel a little bit of their childhood at the same time. It’s for great causes, supporting some really awesome families, and just all around a good experience.”
Schaefer and his group decided to start the Wounded Warriors Wiffle Wars in honor of their friends, Hackstadt and Smiley, who passed away in 2019 and 2024, respectively. Schaefer believes the day can be a powerful opportunity to surround their families and show support from the community.
“That’s how we wanted to honor our friends,” he said. “It was just a beautiful moment to show that we love Tanner, we love Marcus, we want to show love for you guys through this tough time. I think grieving can sometimes be a lifelong process when it comes to such a significant loss. For us to come around them and just be there for them, to show love and just make it a joyful day of honoring them, I think has just been something that I always look back on these events and just appreciate about the community as a whole.”
Schaefer added that the wiffle ball tournament is “not an uber-competitive environment,” but a fun experience for players to enjoy. He hopes many people come out on July 26 to support the Wounded Warriors Project and the families.
“Everyone’s just having a fun time,” he said. “At the end of the day, the goal of the tournament is to just make it a good day of fellowship and community.”
For more information, including how to register, visit the official Facebook event page.
