The Tampa Bay Rays have announced season two plans for the Rays Gaming Program and the “Sunburst Invitational.” The tournament will continue to allow gamers from across the country to compete against each other in MLB The Show 24 for a cash prize and a trip to St. Petersburg, FL for the in-person championship. This year’s format will see four (4) online qualifier tournaments, doubling the opportunity for fans to participate and compete.

“We were immensely encouraged by the positive feedback from both our fans and the esports community during our inaugural Sunburst Invitational last season,” said Rays Vice President, Marketing Pat Abts. “As we introduce season two, our focus is on amplifying these connections and opportunities, while continuously offering innovative avenues for fans to engage with our brand. The Rays Gaming program not only enables us to tap into new fan demographics but also serves as a bridge connecting them to the exciting world of Rays baseball.”

Any interested persons above the age of 13 in the U.S. and Canada are eligible to join for free. All participants are required to play with the Tampa Bay Rays live roster throughout the double-elimination tournaments. Registration for the first Sunburst Invitational qualifier opens on Thursday, April 11 and closes Thursday, April 18, or after the first 500 registrations. For all four registration windows, full tournament schedule and tournament rules, visit RaysBaseball.com/Gaming.

Rays Gaming Sunburst Invitational events:

Sunday, April 28, 12 p.m. ET - Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #1

Monday, May 27, 7 p.m. ET - Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #2

Saturday, June 22, 1 p.m. ET - Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #3

Monday, July 8, 7 p.m. ET - Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #4

The qualifiers above will be broadcast on our Twitch and TikTok channels.

The four winners of the qualifier events will then be flown to St. Petersburg, FL for the in-person Sunburst Invitational Championship on Thursday, August 1 (Semifinals) beginning at 1 p.m. ET and Friday, Aug. 2 (Finals) beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Both events will take place at Coastal Creative in St. Petersburg, FL. Each of the final events as well as the championship will be broadcast live across the Tampa Bay Rays Twitch and TikTok channels.

The finalists of the Sunburst Invitational Championship will split a $10,000 prize pool, with $8,000 going to the winner and $2,000 to the runner-up. Popular MLB The Show 24 streamers, Rich Veit (@ScuffyMcGee) and Tyler Dimmu (@DaddyDimmu) will broadcast the live stream commentary for all final events.

A valid subscription to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One or Xbox Series X | S is necessary to connect and compete.

The Rays have partnered with Rare Drop for all tournament-related production and have partnered with Checkmate Gaming as the host platform.

About Rare Drop

Rare Drop is a local Tampa Bay company that helps their partners gain a unique advantage through talent management, live events, marketing, creative & production services, live shows, and everything in between.

About Coastal Creative

Coastal Creative is a full service digital media studio and creative agency. They specialize in virtual production (LED walls), digital marketing, video production, photography, graphic design, podcasts, and more. They are also a creative event space that hosts concerts, comedy shows, private events and so much more. Through meaningful relationships with their clients and the community, Coastal Creative has become a valuable resource for local creatives, small business and large organizations. Helping at every level to provide the space and team to deliver amazing events, high quality digital content, and future forward access to the latest video production technologies.