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STATE COLLEGE -- The PIAA received four requests for proposals to host the state baseball championships this spring and opted to remain at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in University Park at its summer meeting at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel Wednesday despite the State College Spikes and Penn State University's legal disputes over the field.
"I don't have any concerns," PIAA executive director Mark Byers said. "We were up there. We had conversations. Obviously it's not finalized, but the proposal (to host) comes in from Penn State athletics, so I don't have any concerns about moving forward with them. We have had a great relationship with the Spikes. They have been second to none in hosting it. It almost becomes a dry run for their season, a soft opening if you will. I expect that to continue."
Penn State issued a lawsuit against the Spikes for a lease violation earlier this year, but it was recently reported the two sides have entered mediation.
The Altoona Curve and Peoples Natural Gas Field were one of four to submit bids to host the PIAA baseball championships along with the York Revolution, DuBois' Showers Field and Penn State.
"We applied to host," Altoona Curve general manager Nate Bowen said. "We hosted the state championship games, not during my tenure here, but we hosted a number of high school games and feel like we have a great facility -- one of the best in the state to be able to host a tournament like that and to be able to see the state champions crowned at our ballpark was something we were really excited about here in Altoona."
The PIAA baseball championships were held in Altoona from 2005-2010 when the Curve's stadium was known as Blair County Ballpark.
The championships moved to State College in 2011 and have been played there since.
"It is disappointing that we didn't win the bid," Bowen said. "But we'll definitely bid again when the process reopens and do our best to get the state championships here."
The Curve could potentially be playing at home when the PIAA championship games are held, but that would only be an issue the first year if Altoona ever won the bid.
"The real problem would be the first year," Bowen said. "We don't have our schedule finalized for next year, but in the tentative version, we are on the road for that. But I wouldn't know the dates until we got the application, so the first year would be tricky, but after that we would be able to request that we were away."
The Curve have hosted several high profile District 6 championship and state playoff games recently, including the PIAA Class 3A semifinal game in 2021 between Tyrone and Central.
"We filled the majority of the second level," Bowen said. "We drew between 2,500 and 3,000 for a couple of those games when Central was playing Tyrone two or three years in a row. That atmosphere was really exciting in the ballpark."
Bowen told the Mirror he was concerned the lack of a softball facility nearby might hurt Altoona's chances to host as both the baseball and softball championships have been held at University Park recently.
"It's not necessary (for baseball and softball to be connected)," Byers said. "For years, before we were finally able to have both baseball and softball at Penn State, we didn't have them at the same location going back to the 70s. It's not necessary, but I think both of those facilities set up well for our championships."
Byers also pointed out large crowds who have attended softball championships at Penn State as one of the aspects that went into choosing to also renew the Nittany Lion Softball Complex over the other proposals from Heindl Field in DuBois and Saint Francis University.
"Seating wise, Penn State is the largest capacity softball facility that we have in the state," Byers said. "When we qualify locals in (District 6), it's needed. You get a Bellefonte or a Bald Eagle Area, we probably need an even bigger facility than what we have there."
Saint Francis University also applied to host the PIAA championships in track and field and the boys volleyball championships but was denied on all three of its proposals.
A call to Saint Francis University director of athletics Jim Brazill was not returned to the Mirror by press time.
The PIAA track and field championships will remain at Seth Grove Stadium on the campus of Shippensburg University, and the boys volleyball championship will remain at Penn State's Rec Hall despite bids from SFU, the Farm Show Complex and IUP's Kovalchick Center.
Lacrosse will also be played at Penn State despite bids from West Chester and contention from District 1 chairman Michael Barber that district playoff games near Philadelphia draw nearly 2,000 fans while the PIAA championships in State College drew around 200.
The PIAA tennis championships will remain in Hershey.
"After comparative analysis and discussion with staff, we would recommend that in the sport of baseball we remain at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at Penn State, for lacrosse we remain at Panzer Stadium at Penn State, for softball we remain at the Nittany Lion softball complex at Penn State," said Byers before the board approved the recommendations. "Obviously with the Hershey Racquet Club being the lone respondent, we will continue with Hershey, for track and field we recommend remaining at Shippensburg University for the next four-year period, and finally for boys volleyball, from the four respondents, I would recommend staying at Rec Hall at Penn State University."