BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- The Ohio Valley Conference Board of Athletic
Directors and Board of Presidents have approved a plan to move the
OVC Baseball Championship to Jackson, Tenn., for the next three
years, beginning with the 2010 season. The six-team,
double-elimination tournament will be held May 26-30, 2010 at
Pringles Park, home of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, the AA affiliate
of the Seattle Mariners.
Tennessee Tech won the 2009 OVC Tournament, held in Brooks Stadium
in Paducah, Ky., and advanced to the NCAA Regional for the third
time in the past 13 years so coach Matt Bragga's team will be the
first team to have the chance to defend its title in the new
venue.
“The Ohio Valley Conference is excited to have the West Tenn
Diamond Jaxx, the City of Jackson and the Jackson Area Chamber of
Commerce as the new hosts of the OVC Baseball Championship,”
said Brad Walker, Interim OVC Commissioner. “The opportunity
to play games at Pringles Park and build on the student-athlete
experience and community support of the event is
attractive.”
The 2009 season marked the 30th year the OVC Baseball Championship
had been held. The first elimination style tournament was held in
1980, most usually being played at the site of the regular season
champion. Beginning in 2001 the tournament switched to a neutral
site for the first time, as the last nine championships have been
held at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky. Tennessee Tech was also the
first team to win the OVC crown in Brooks Stadium, doing that in
2001, giving the Golden Eagles the first and last titles at the
site.
“On behalf of the OVC member institutions and conference
staff I would like to thank the City of Paducah and the staff at
Brooks Stadium for providing a great experience as the host of our
tournament for the past nine years,” Walker said. “We
are going to miss them, but we are excited about the new
possibilities that are in store for the tournament."
Pringles Park opened in 1998 and has a seating capacity of 6,000.
The venue hosted the 1999 Southern League All-Star Game and will
also host that event in 2011. Pringles Park also has luxury suites,
a video board and merchandise shop that will be used for the
championship. More information on the stadium and the Diamond Jaxx
can be found at http://westtenn.diamondjaxx.milb.com .
“We are thrilled to have been awarded the OVC Baseball
Tournament for the next three years,” said Tom Hanson,
General Manager of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. “Our community
always does a great job in supporting major events, and I’m
sure this tournament will be no different. We look forward to
making this a special experience for all players, coaches, families
and friends.”
Jackson, Tenn. is located 130 miles from Nashville and 77 miles
from Memphis on Interstate 40.
The Ohio Valley Conference currently has nine baseball-playing
institutions including Austin Peay State University, Eastern
Illinois University, Eastern Kentucky University, Jacksonville
State University, Morehead State University, Murray State
University, Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville, Tennessee Technological University and the
University of Tennessee at Martin. Tennessee State University, a
member of the OVC in all other sports, does not sponsor baseball.
SIU Edwardsville, the league’s newest member, is ineligible
for postseason play until 2013 due to the program’s
reclassification efforts to full Division I status.