(BECKLEY, W.Va.)---The 2011 and 2013 WVIAC Baseball Championships will be contested at Beckley's Linda K. Epling Stadium. The West Virginia Miners baseball club of the Prospect League will serve as the host for the eight-team, four-day event. The champion earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship.
The newly-constructed stadium features an all-artificial turf playing surface from Play Field International and is one of the top facilities utilized by any NCAA-sanctioned summer collegiate squad. The home of the West Virginia Miners also boasts a 13 x 21 "Jumbo-Tron" board and a seating capacity of 2,600 spectators, including 1,400 chairback seats.
The state of the art drainage system allows play to begin or resume after a heavy rain following only 15-to-30 minutes of drainage time. The dimensions are 400 feet to center field, 375 feet in the power alleys, and 325 feet down each line.
West Virginia Miners owner Doug Epling welcomes the WVIAC to Beckley. "Kay and I are honored that (WVIAC commissioner) Barry (Blizzard) and (WVIAC associate commissioner) Will (Prewitt) have considered us to host the WVIAC Tournament. Having had experience working with the conference in years past as well as the fortunes of working with Barry and his staff, our family looks forward to a long standing relationship with the WVIAC"
"I look forward to working closely with Barry and his staff as the Tournament Director for this prestigious event next May," added West Virginia Miners general manager Mike Gilligan. "This event will bring many new visitors and guests to our community during Tournament Week to see our new facility as well as provide a nice economic impact to our local businesses. It is a perfect event for us to host before we kick off a second season of West Virginia Miners Baseball."
"This is going to be a fantastic experience for our baseball student-athletes," said WVIAC associate commissioner Will Prewitt. "I can't imagine many collegiate conferences at any level being able to contest their championship at such a quality facility. We appreciate the Epling family and the West Virginia Miners having such an interest in our event and we are looking forward to partnering with them."
The WVIAC Baseball Championship was held at Princeton's Hunnicutt Field for 18 seasons before moving to historic Point Stadium in Johnstown, PA for the past three years. "The Point" is slated to host the 2012 and 2014 WVIAC Baseball Championships. It will also be the site of the 2011 and 2013 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament as the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region conferences joined the City of Johnstown in a unique three-way agreement.
City of Johnstown Public Works Director Darby Sprincz, who oversees Point Stadium, is pleased to ink the pact to bring championship baseball to his city for the next four springs. "The City of Johnstown is happy and excited to host the PSAC and WVIAC on a rotating basis over the next four years. It’s a nice boost for our economy and the quality of baseball is very good."
"This is a great chance for all of us involved to work together for the best interest of both leagues and the three championship sites," said PSAC commissioner Steve Murray. "We are pleased the two leagues could cooperate in this agreement"
"The City of Johnstown has been a welcoming host to our baseball players for the past three years and Point Stadium has been an excellent venue for us," stated Prewitt. "We're thrilled to have a pair of wonderful sites that will allow us to showcase WVIAC baseball on both ends of our geographic footprint over the next four springs. We are very appreciative of the city's and the PSAC's willingness to work together on a solution that will be a win-win for each of us."
Seton Hill University is the event's defending champion as the Griffins earned their first WVIAC baseball crown with a 14-3 win over West Virginia State that capped off an unbeaten run through the 2009 tournament.
The 15-school West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference consists of members in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and was founded in 1924. The first baseball title was awarded in 1947. West Virginia State owns the most WVIAC hardball championships with 15, while West Liberty follows with 14.
WVIAC Baseball Tournament Facts:
Recent Championship Game Results:
2000: West Virginia State 11, Davis & Elkins 10 (10 innings)
2001: Concord 7, Shepherd 1
2002: West Virginia State 21, Shepherd 6
2003: West Virginia State 18, Concord 9
2004: Shepherd 14, Concord 10
2005: West Virginia State 14, Davis & Elkins 10
2006: Ohio Valley 14, Concord 5
2007: West Virginia State 11, Shepherd 6
2008: West Virginia State 14, Alderson-Broaddus 2
2009: Shepherd 12, West Virginia State 5
2010: Seton Hill 14, West Virginia State 3
Format: Eight teams qualify with round-robin preliminary round play among two four-team polls...Winner of each pool qualifies for single championship contest...Teams qualify for the tournament by virtue of a top four divisional regular season finish...North-Alderson-Broaddus, Fairmont State, Pitt Johnstown, Seton Hill, Shepherd, West Liberty, Wheeling Jesuit...South-Bluefield State, Charleston, Concord, Davis & Elkins, Ohio Valley, West Virginia State, West Virginia Wesleyan.