River States Conference

River States Conference Baseball Tournament goes to VA Memorial Stadium

3/6/2017 12:00:00 AM

FLORENCE, Ky. -- The 2017 River States Conference Baseball Tournament will be held at Veterans Administration Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio, the conference announced on Monday. VA Memorial Stadium is the home of the Chillicothe Paints of the collegiate wood bat league The Prospect League. It is located on the VA Medical Center Campus.

The RSC Tournament will be held there May 5-9, 2017 with six teams in a double-elimination bracket. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament.

"The River States Conference is excited to partner with VA Memorial Stadium and the City of Chillicothe to host the 2017 River States Conference Baseball Tournament," said Scott McClure, RSC Commissioner. "This stadium has hosted many intercollegiate conference tournaments at all levels, and we know it's going to be an outstanding venue for our conference tournament this spring.

"I look forward to working with Bryan Wickline from the Chillicothe Paints in coordinating an awesome championship experience for our River States Conference baseball teams and fans. Moving this championship to a centrally-located venue in Chillicothe will increase attendance and the overall championship atmosphere."

The last three years, the conference has held its postseason baseball tournament at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tenn. That venue provided a fantastic facility and game-management staff. The new location of VA Memorial Stadium and Chillicothe, Ohio, is geographically central to the RSC's 13 member institutions, nine of which play baseball.

The River States Conference membership represents five states -- Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania -- and the Ohio River flows through the center of the conference's map. The conference was known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1916-2016, but its name was changed to River States Conference on July 1, 2016 as part of a re-branding initiative.

"I want to especially thank RSC Commissioner Scott McClure and the administrators of the participating institutions for choosing VA Memorial Stadium as their tournament site," said Bryan Wickline, Managing Partner of the Chillicothe Paints. "The Paints, the City of Chillicothe and the entire Ross County area are thrilled to host the River States Conference Baseball Tournament this May. We look forward to providing a first-class venue for the players, umpires, staffs and families of the conference."

VA Memorial Stadium was constructed in 1954, and as a commemorative plaque in the concession area reads, the stadium is, "In Living Remembrance of Those Who Served to Preserve the Ideals of this Nation and in Love of Fellow Man." The playing surface is FieldTurf, which was installed in 2006.

More information about the tournament will be released later this season including a complete schedule and bracket. Mark your calendar for May 5-9, 2017, for River States Conference Baseball Tournament action on VA Memorial Stadium, home of the Chillicothe Paints. Sunday, May 7 will be an off day for the tournament. The championship round will be Tuesday, May 9.

VA Memorial Stadium
17273 St. Rt. 104
Chillicothe, OH 45601
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