The last big party of the summer baseball season is ready to start. And it’s going to be one heck of a bash.

The annual Governor’s Cup kicks off today at Halls Ferry Park with its largest turnout ever.

A total of 96 teams – seven more than last year’s record, and 28 more than just two years ago – will participate in the tournament that spreads across two weekends.

The action starts today at 4 p.m., with a 6-year-olds’ game between the Vicksburg A’s and Magee Knuckleheads on Halls Ferry Park’s BMX Field, and continues through Sunday.

A total of 34 teams in five age groups – 6-and-under, 9-year-olds, 11-year-olds, 13-year-olds and 16-year-olds – will play this weekend. Next week is even bigger, with 62 more signed up in another five age groups. The 7-year-olds, 8-and-under, 10-and-under, 12-year-olds and 14-year-olds will begin play on Aug. 3.

&#8220We just made things happen. Mathematically, we’ll work some longer days. You start games early and play late,” Governor’s Cup tournament director Mike Koestler said, adding that a surge in age groups like the 7- and 10-year-olds contributed to the increased number of teams. &#8220It goes in cycles. One year, your odd teams are rocking and rolling, and the next it’s the even teams. This year, it seems the even teams have a lot more.”

The tournament serves as the Vicksburg Baseball Association’s biggest fundraiser, and stretches its small army of volunteers to the limit. From parents and players who take money at the gate, to those who cook hamburgers at the concession stand or procure supplies, dozens of people work behind the scenes to make the tournament a reality and a destination for teams across the South.

The VBA has given them plenty of training this year, though, by hosting nearly a dozen tournaments this summer. Koestler said the preparation has paid off.

&#8220For the young guys, it has been good. We wanted some tournaments here just to see how it goes,” Koestler said. &#8220They’d been to tournaments but never run one. It’s a lot more difficult than they thought.”

The people who coordinate everything have also been in training, Koestler added. The approach to scheduling, for instance, is a continual work in progress. This year, teams were able to register and pay their entry fees online for the first time, another factor that contributed to the sharp increase in participation.

&#8220It’s been worked on over the years. The learning curve has been reached,” Koestler said. &#8220A lot of people have worked on this and gotten better organized. We’re using the Internet as a tool now.”

While Koestler and future Governor’s Cup directors will continue to use a high-tech approach, he’s also tried to go back to the old school this year.

When the tournament was started in 1992, it was originally a vehicle for the Governor’s office to promote youth fitness. After three years in Madison, the tournament moved to Vicksburg and gradually lost its ties to the governor in everything but name.

This year, Koestler approached Gov. Haley Barbour to see about changing that. He asked the governor to sign baseballs that will be awarded to the first- and second-place teams in each age group – a prize that was last given in the late 1990s.

The top two teams in each group also will receive the traditional trophy, a plaque.

&#8220They asked how many balls I wanted him to sign, and I said about 240,” Koestler said with a laugh. &#8220He was pretty busy, but he came through.”