VALDOSTA — The 2009 South Georgia Diamond Brawl, hosted by the Lowndes Vikings and sponsored by Wal-Mart and Steels Jewelry, begins today at 3 p.m. when the Vikings take on Jenkins at Noel George Field.

The South Georgia Diamond Brawl baseball tournament features 36 teams which play 69 games at seven Fields.

“It’s probably the biggest in South Georgia,” Vikings head coach Danny Redshaw said. “This is our 12th year doing it, and we’ve gotten to where we’re around 40 teams. I was worried about how things would be affected by the economy, but we haven’t had a drop off. This wouldn’t be possible without the Dugout Club. It takes a lot of cooperation from a lot of folks.”

Lowndes I, the Vikings varsity squad, and Valdosta Black, the Wildcats varsity team, are participants. Coffee, Cook, Lanier and Brooks are also in the tournament.

Other teams are coming from as far away as Athens (Cedar Shoals) and Bradenton, Fla., (Manatee).

Games will be played at LHS, VHS, Valwood, Brooks, Cook, Colquitt and Lanier.

“You didn’t want to be in my office when I was making the schedule,” Redshaw joked.

Redshaw said the purpose of the tournament is to bring in the best possible competition while raising money for the team and host schools.

The Vikings projected varsity plays twice today against Jenkins at 3 p.m. and Shaw at 7:30 p.m. The Vikings varsity’s last game of the tournament is on Thursday at 7:45 against Cedar Shoals. All three games are at Noel George Field.

“We’re like most teams in the tournament,” Redshaw said. “This is our spring training. We’re trying to solidify depth charts, find pitching and bring closure to good summer. This tournament winds us up until next year.”

The Valdosta Wildcats projected varsity plays four games in the Diamond Brawl.

The Black team plays Jenkins on Thursday and Calvary on Friday. Both games are at 11 a.m. The Black team also plays Saturday against South Effingham at 9:30 a.m. and Ware at 2 p.m. All of Valdosta’s games are at Bazemore Field.