MOUNT STERLING, ILL. -- This weekend, 9 and 10-year-old girls will invade Mount Sterling.

They'll be hitting the plates for Illinois' state softball tournament. This is a first state game at home for Mount Sterling's Little League Association.

Four sectional team winners from Illinois will converge on the field and throughout the city.

"It's not a large money maker. It's more of a prestigious thing, to just be able to say we hosted a state tournament. Especially for a small community like ours, we're very proud of it," said Mike Boylen with the association. "We've had a lot of people that really stepped up, that really weren't in the program, but they're going to help us here in the tournament to make it a big success and showcase our area," said Boylen.

The state softball tournament starts July 30 and will go through August 3. The opening ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Saturday. Games start at 2 p.m.