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Akron Will Be Home Of State Baseball Tournament

The Ohio High School Athletic Association has finally made a change of venue official for the 2019 state baseball tournament. This year’s tourney will be held on June 7-9 at Canal Park in Akron. The board voted unanimously 8-0 on the issue Wednesday night.

The Final Four in every division has been held at Huntington Park in Columbus since 2009, but due to the extension of the regular season by one week beginning in 2019, the home of the Class AAA Columbus Clippers is unavailable for the dates of this year’s state tourney. The Clippers have home games slated on the second weekend of June when the tournament featuring 16 high school teams is slated.

“The Clippers and Huntington Park have been great hosts, but our baseball season is a week later now and it conflicts with the Clippers’ 2019 home schedule,” said Jerry Snodgrass, OHSAA executive director, in a press release Thursday morning. “We looked at many sites, but for several reasons, including similar schedule conflicts at other locations, we believe that Canal Park is the best choice.”

Canal Park is home of the Akron RubberDucks, the Class AA minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. It will not only host the 2019 state tourney, but the agreement the 2020 event as well

“When it became apparent the schedules were conflicted with Huntington Park, we started to look at other options,” noted Snodgrass, who revealed that the 2020 state tournament also has a conflict with games already scheduled on those dates at Huntington Park. “The geography plays a little bit of a role, but it’s not the only factor. The desire to host the tournament and provide an atmosphere and a great experience is a key. Finances are also part of the equation. We took all of that into consideration.”

Canal Park, which Snodgrass believes has been used in the past for district tournament games, won out over other sites that were being discussed.

“Canal Park has reached out to us many times over the years,” Snodgrass noted. “We took site visits and met with their guys and ultimately we made the decision to go with them. They met all the requirements that we want.”

Extending the high school baseball season one week starting in 2019 came about due in part to the pitch count rules now being used in the sport.

“It was about helping baseball and protecting the health of high school players,” Snodgrass explained. “But there was a rippling effect extending the season, a rippling effect with the park (in Columbus) not available.”

Akron hosting a state tournament is nothing new. The softball state tournament has been held in the city and will be again this year, though it is a week earlier than the baseball tourney.

“We have worked with the Akron visitors’ bureau quite a bit since softball has been there,” Snodgrass pointed out. “Now we’ll be there two weekends in a row. That will make it easier to work with one location.

“The park and manager are thrilled that we’re going to be there,” Snodgrass added. “We wanted somebody that was going to make this experience memorable for our teams.”

The tournament not only is a week later and at a different site, but the three days will now be Friday through Sunday instead of Thursday through Saturday.

“Due to availability, it’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Snodgrass said. “The calendar for this year’s high school sports season moved back this year so it’s only a few days later than normal.”

The starting times of games are yet to be determined, in particular the finals which could be moved back due to being played on a Sunday.

Snodgrass credited Emily Gates, the OHSAA baseball administrator, and a group she put together with helping the change move smoothly.

“She brought the same group together for input that was involved with the pitch count rules as well as the recommendations from Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association members. It was a very good group that was very representative of all the baseball coaches in Ohio.”

The biggest concern in the decision was the location not being as centrally located as Huntington Park in Columbus.

“That’s to be expected,” Snodgrass said when asked if distance will be a complaint heard about the move. “Ohio is unique in shape and Columbus is in the central. I’m sure the Cincinnati region will be frustrated, but they also travel to other places to play in the regular season. Remember, in the current format we still provide some reimbursement (for travel distance).”

Snodgrass sees Canal Park, which opened in 1997, as comparable with Huntington Park, which first held games in 2008. Canal Park holds 7,630 fans while Huntington Park has a capacity of 10,100..

“They’re very similar,” Snodgrass pointed out. “Canal Park offers a lot of amenities. It has very close parking, very affordable parking and easy access. There are also a lot of nice amenities in the park.”

The OHSAA executive director admits making the change official brings a bit of comfort.

“It is a relief,” Snodgrass said. “We loved going to Huntington Park and all those that participated loved it. It all just had to do with the lack of availability there for the event.”