AA Gary SouthShore Railcats

U.S. Steel Yard to Host NCAA Regional

Published on May 28, 2012 under American Association (AA)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release


GARY, Ind. - U. S. Steel Yard, the home ballpark of the Gary SouthShore RailCats, has been selected to host a four-team NCAA Regional from June 1-4 in the opening weekend of the NCAA Men's Baseball Tournament. Purdue University will serve as the host school and No. 1 seed. The No. 2 seed will be Kentucky, No. 3 is Kent State and No. 4 will be nearby Valparaiso University. Purdue will face Valparaiso in the opening game of the tournament on Friday at 3 p.m.

The Regional will be double-elimination, with two games played each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and a final game on Monday if necessary. Tentative game times will be 3 and 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday.

Tickets will go on sale at the RailCats box office Tuesday, May 29 at noon. Each game will cost $8 for adults and $4 for students. Fans may purchase tickets in-person or by phone at 219-882-BALL. Walk-up ticket sales will also be available each day of the Regional.

"This is a win-win situation for Purdue, the NCAA, the RailCats organization, the City of Gary and all of Northwest Indiana," RailCats Owner Pat Salvi said. "Being selected as one of 16 ballparks nationwide to host an NCAA Regional is a great acknowledgement of the beautiful ballpark and facilities at U. S. Steel Yard, which are second to none."

"The RailCats organization is proud to host such a prestigious event at beautiful U. S. Steel Yard," RailCats President/GM Kevin Spudic said. "Baseball fans from the Region and beyond have a unique opportunity to see high-level college baseball this weekend and we welcome them to enjoy a great event at an outstanding venue."

Purdue was selected as the host school for the Regional after winning their first Big Ten regular season title since 1909 and first Big Ten tournament title in school history. The team features five Northwest Indiana natives: Ryan Bridges (Griffith), Blake Mascarello (Crown Point), Connor Podkul (La Porte), Mike Sudbury (Munster) and Kyle Upp (La Porte). Purdue head coach Doug Schreiber is also from La Porte.

=9A"We are thrilled to be in Gary and in an area where there are at lot of Purdue fans and a lot of baseball fans," said Tom Schott, Purdue's Associate Athletic Director.

"The first time we reached out to Gary and U. S. Steel Yard, they welcomed us with open arms. It should be a great partnership for the weekend and a great show for the NCAA."

Valparaiso is a Northwest Indiana school located just 25 miles from Gary. The Crusaders are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 44 years and their roster includes La Porte native Kevin Upp. Valparaiso last played in Gary at the Horizon League Tournament in 2010. The last time the Boilermakers in Crusaders were both at U. S. Steel Yard was when they faced each other in May 2005.

The RailCats were founded in 2002 and are in their tenth season at U. S. Steel Yard. They are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, and play 50 home games each season at the $45 million ballpark, which is one of the premier minor league baseball venues in the country. The club has drawn more than 1.4 million fans since the ballpark opened in 2003.

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American Association Stories from May 28, 2012


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