FREEPORT — The 15th annual Freeport International Baseball Invitational takes place July 21 to 26 on six different fields.

The 41-team field for this year's event, a nontournament competition that crowns no champion, includes two teams from Israel, four teams from Canada, and teams from Australia and Japan.

Unlike previous years, Laura Doerr Park in Saxonburg will not be one of the sites. Games will be played at Swartz Field in Freeport, a new field by Freeport Elementary School in South Buffalo Township, Lower Burrell, Springdale, Ford City and Highlands High School.

"Putting the schedule together for this is a chore,"said event founder and treasurer Ralph "Sonny"Westerman. "We're talking about 105 games in five days."

The week's activities begin with a baseball showcase Monday at the South Buffalo Township field, where players will be put through drills in front of college and professional coaches. Results will be made available to college coaches throughout the country.

The complete schedule will be available on the invitational's web site, fortheloveofthegame.org, this weekend.

The initial Freeport invitational event had 25 teams in 1994.

"It's kept growing from there,"Westerman said. "Teams from other countries keep coming back because they like the format. It's not a tournament where you come in, play two games and go home.

"They know they're going to be playing a lot of baseball in a very friendly atmosphere."

Germany had hoped to send a team this year, but couldn't get funding in time. Westerman said the country is making plans to participate in the 2009 event.

Australian team members stayed with families in the community last year and will do so again next week.

"Kids on the Australian team had heard a lot of bad things about the United States, about the economy and the cities. ... They came here and were impressed by our community and city," Westerman said.

"One of our host families last year went over to Australia for a visit about a month ago. New friendships are being formed."

The Israeli teams are staying in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh and have rented vans to bring them to the ballfields.

Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, New York and Maryland join Pennsylvania as states being represented with teams in this event.

An old-timers game, featuring former Pittsburgh Steeler Robin Cole, Freeport graduate and former NFLlineman Jeff Christy and former Pittsburgh Pirate Frank Thomas, will be played at 8 p.m. Thursday at Swartz Field.

"There are guys coming back who played for me years ago," Westerman said.

An annual budget of $40,000 is needed to keep the Freeport International Baseball Invitational running.

"I've got some funding set aside, we get some nice donations, we raise $2,000 through a raffle — a lot goes into this," Westerman said.