Sunday, December 26, 1999
State baseball back to Columbus
HIGH SCHOOL INSIDER
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The format for the state baseball tournament has been changed.
Rather than playing two divisions in Columbus and the other two in Canton, the semifinals and championship games of all divisions will be contested at Ohio State and Cooper Stadium in Columbus.
“Essentially, the coaches enjoy playing in a more centralized location,” said Bob Goldring, Director of Information Services for the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
“The (Columbus) Clippers (minor league team) now have grass and they were willing to work with us and hold the dates open. This is no reflection on Canton. The people there worked well with us.”
The OHSAA did not announce which divisions will be played at Cooper Stadium or Ohio State. The semifinals will be played June 1-2 with the championship games scheduled for Saturday, June 3.
Also announced were the sites for the regional baseball tournaments
For the first time, Midland will host the Division I regional with Division II remaining at Piqua, Division III in Hillsboro with Huber Heights Wayne replacing Lemon Monroe as the site for Division IV.
Wright State University has hosted the Division I regional for years but according to Goldring, the facility wasn't made available for the tournament.
In the past, Midland has hosted the Division I and II district tournaments on alternating years but never the regional.
A more liberal policy regarding doubleheaders was also approved.
Teams will now be permitted to play doubleheaders on days when there's no classes the next day. This opens the door primarily for Friday doubleheaders, which were prohibited in the past.
TRACK CHANGE: A major change will be implemented for the state track meet which will be held for the second consecutive year at Dayton's Welcome Stadium.
Due to limited seating, the 1999 state meet was contested over three days rather than two days as in previous years when held at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
But, poor attendance in Dayton (21,826) at the 1999 meet prompted the Board of Control, the governing body of the OHSAA, to revert back to two days.
“Essentially, attendance didn't dictate running the meet over a three-day period,” Goldring said. “The state meet makes money but when combined with the regional, the losses are substantial.”
The OHSAA lost about $103,000 in 1999 on the state and regional combined compared to $63,600 in 1998. However, the 1999 state meet showed a profit of $5,800 compared to $40,000 in 1998.
EARLY MORNING: Basketball practice at 6 a.m. wouldn't go over with the players at most schools. Woodward is the exception.
Because of moisture underneath the main gym floor at Woodward, the only practice time availble for the boys basketball team in the girls gym was early in the morning.
After the repairs were completed and the gym was ready for use, the team decided to stick with the 6 a.m. starting time.
“The players voted to keep the practices in the morning,” Woodward coach Jimmy Leon said. “I pick several of them up. The others ride the Metro buses and are usually on time.”
BASEBALL CLINIC: Xavier University will conduct a three-day winter baseball camp for boys ages 7-through-17 beginning Monday.
There will be morning (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and afternoon (1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.) sessions. Call 745-2891 for sign up information.
WANT ADS: Middletown Madison is looking for a boys track coach. Contact Jeff Smith at 420-4757 for details.
Amelia is looking for a head varsity football coach. Send a resume to Mike Rapp, Amelia High School, 1351 Clough Pike, Batavia, Ohio 45103 or call 753-5120, ext. 18.
Western Brown, a Division III school, is looking for a football game the second week of the 2001 season. Contact Tim Cook at 937-444-2544, ext. 224.
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