NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The USCAA Baseball Small College World Series is moving north. College of St. Joseph’s-Vermont has secured the bid to host the tournament in Glens Falls, New York next May. The upstate New York location will provide a sophisticated small town backdrop for the tournament, a change from recent USCAA Baseball National Championships. Glens Falls is roughly an hour north of Albany and two hours south of Burlington, Vermont.

The venue will be East Field Park, a multi-use facility with a stadium that can seat up to 7,000 spectators. Opened in 1980, the park has previously played home to Double A affiliates of the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers and hosted the NJCAA Baseball World Series in 2005 and 2006. Currently, East Field is the home of the Glens Falls Dragons of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

“We are thrilled that we have been awarded the opportunity to host the 2016 USCAA Small College World Series,” said College of St. Joseph’s-Vermont Athletic Director Bob Godlewski. “The partnership we have built with Ben Bernard and the Glens Falls Dragons ensures that we will put on a first-rate event that builds on the success of last year's Small College World Series held in Virginia. We are grateful to everyone at the USCAA who worked to bring this great event to the area.”

Co-Tournament Director Ben Bernard added: “I am looking forward to partnering with the College of St. Joseph of Rutland, Vermont and Bob Godlewski. This will be a great economic boost for the City of Glens Falls and Warren County. We’re looking forward to working with many area sports and business entities to make this a successful and memorable event for the area and players/coaches that participate.”

The dates for the 2016 USCAA Small College World Series will be May 8th-12th, with Sunday serving as the banquet, parade of athletes, and home run derby. Play will begin on Monday and Thursday a National Champion will be crowned. Tournament lodging and banquet information will be released at a later date.  

“The USCAA is excited bring its 2016 Baseball National Championships to Glens Falls, New York,” states USCAA Chief Executive Director Matt Simms. “We appreciate the support our host, College of St. Joseph’s-Vermont, has displayed in organizing this bid. We look forward to working with Tournament Directors Bob Godlewski and Ben Bernard, the staff at East Field Park, and the City of Glens Falls, New York, to deliver a memorable event for our baseball teams and student-athletes.”

The tournament format will remain consistent, with a ten-team double elimination tournament. All games will be seven innings with the exception of the championship games(s), which will be nine inning contests.

College of St. Joseph’s-Vermont, after finishing tied for fifth in last year’s field, will secure the automatic host bid for the 2016 USCAA Baseball Small College World Series. For more information on USCAA National Championship events, please visit www.theuscaa.com.

East Field History: http://www.pgcbl.com/news/index.html?article_id=450

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