Mercy Health Stadium

Mercy Health Stadium is a baseball park in Avon, Ohio, United States. It is the home of the Lake Erie Crushers, a Frontier League team that began play in 2009. The ballpark has a capacity of 5,000 people and opened on June 2, 2009, with the Crushers defeating the Windy City Thunderbolts, 5-2. The ballpark was known as All Pro Freight Stadium until January 2017;[2] Sprenger Stadium until December 2019;[3] and Crushers Stadium in 2020. The team announced in November 2020 that beginning January 1, 2021, the facility will be known as Mercy Health Stadium after a deal was signed with Mercy Health, a Cincinnati-based healthcare provider that operates facilities around the state of Ohio, including two hospitals in the nearby communities of Lorain and Oberlin.[4]

Mercy Health Stadium
Exterior view in 2010
Former namesAll Pro Freight Stadium (2009–2017)
Sprenger Stadium (2017–2019)
Crushers Stadium (2020)
Address2009 Baseball Boulevard
Avon, Ohio
Coordinates41°27′35″N 82°3′41″W
OwnerCity of Avon, Ohio[1]
OperatorBluedog Baseball LLC[1]
Capacity5,000
Construction
Broke groundJuly 1, 2008
OpenedJune 2, 2009 (2009-06-02)
Construction cost$12.1 million
ArchitectOSports - Osborn Sports and Recreation Architecture
Structural engineerOsborn Engineering
General contractorInfinity Group
Tenants
Lake Erie Crushers (FL) 2009–present
Cleveland State Vikings (NCAA) 2010–2011

Other uses
Seating and field, 2010

Cleveland State baseball

The Cleveland State Vikings baseball team played home games at the ballpark for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. After the 2011 season, however, Cleveland State dropped its baseball program.[5][6]

Mid-American Conference Tournament

From 2012 through 2019, the ballpark hosted the Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament, held in late May. In its most recent setup, the top six teams in the MAC earned berths to the tournament, which used a double-elimination format over five days. The winner of the tournament earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The 2020 tournament was also scheduled to be held at Crushers Stadium from May 20–24, but was cancelled in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In May 2020, the Mid-American Conference announced that the baseball tournament was one of eight conference tournaments that were eliminated for at least the next four seasons beginning in 2020–21.[7][8]

References
  1. Martin, Kevin (November 24, 2020). "Avon City Council extends Crushers lease one-year". The Morning Journal. Lorain, Ohio. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  2. "Lake Erie Crushers announce new stadium name". WKYC. January 4, 2017. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  3. Short, Julie A. (February 10, 2019). "Lake Erie Crushers search for new stadium naming rights partner: Short Takes on Avon, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  4. "New for 2021: Mercy Health Stadium". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  5. "Vikings To Play Home Baseball Games at All Pro Freight Stadium". CSUVikings.com. Cleveland State University. October 10, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  6. "Cleveland State Baseball Team to call All Pro Freight Stadium Home". LakeErieCrushers.com. Lake Erie Crushers. October 12, 2009. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  7. "Mid-American Conference, All Pro Freight Stadium Sign Five-Year Contract Extension". wmubroncos.com (Press release). Western Michigan University Athletics. May 18, 2015. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  8. Strack, Jordan (May 12, 2020). "Major changes coming to Mid-American Conference". WTOL. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
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