The 11th Annual Kernels Foundation high school baseball tournament will be held in Eastern Iowa this weekend.

A total of 44 teams from 11 states and Canada will be competing. The tournament begins Friday night and will end Monday with the semifinals and finals on Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Teams from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Ontario will be chasing the top prize.

The Reds Midwest Scout Team is back to defend its title. They also won the championship in 2009. The Hitters Baseball team from Racine, Wis., won the crown in 2007 and the St. Louis Pirates were crowned champions in 2008.

There will be a Fastest Man Contest and a Home Run Challenge at Perfect Game Field on Saturday night.

A.J. Puk of Cedar Rapids, a 2012 Perfect Game All-American, will be playing for the Iowa Select Black team. Ryan Boldt, a PG All-American from Red Wing, Minn., will be playing with the Reds Midwest Scout Team.

Some of the notable alumni who have played in the Kernels Foundation tournament are 2011 American League Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays, Lance Lynn of the St. Louis Cardinals and Drew Storen of the Washington Nationals.

Daily admission costs $10. A ticket for the entire tournament costs $20.

For more information, go to www.perfectgame.org.