STORRS – When the UConn baseball team played at Butler University a few weeks ago, the Huskies made a point of taking a tour of historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
As soon as he entered the sacred arena, Coach Jim Penders yelled “Hickory!” — a reference to the movie ‘Hoosiers’, which was filmed inside Hinkle.
For years, Hinkle has hosted Indiana’s high school basketball championships, providing every basketball student at Hoosier State with at least the dream of one day playing there.
Penders would like to see UConn’s gleaming Elliot Ballpark become a similar destination for local high school baseball players.
“There’s something to be said for having this iconic location on the minds of every club-swinging kid in Connecticut,” Penders noted. “High school basketball players talk about ‘Road to Mohegan’. I want the ‘Path to Storrs’”.
And so, there were Penders a few weeks ago, just hours before UConn’s fight with Yale, giving Connecticut Interschool Athletic Conference (CIAC) officials a guided tour of Elliot Ballpark.
“We were impressed,” said CIAC’s Director of Media, John Holt, one of four employees who toured the facility. “UConn definitely has a lot of appeal.”
Holt pointed to the Rizza Performance Center and amenities like indoor batting cages, player and referee locker rooms, etc. that help make it attractive.
The goal now is to host some state semifinal games in the next few years, though probably not this spring. The state championship finals are a different story. With CIAC having recently extended its deal with the City of Middletown to host the state championship finals at Palmer Field for another five years, it’s unlikely these games will be held in Elliot before then.
Other summer teams and leagues have asked to use the new $40 million facility over the past two years. Ultimately, however, the goal is for Elliot to be a special place for Connecticut baseball, where only high school championships and UConn baseball are played.
In fact, CIAC is also exploring its softball championships to be held at nearby Burrill Family Field in the near future.
Regionals a possibility?
Of course, the high school championships aren’t the only tournament games Penders would like to see hosted by the Elliot Ballpark, which will be formally dedicated Saturday at 12:15 pm, before the Huskies’ 1:05 pm game with Xavier.
UConn would love to be one of 16 venues for the NCAA Baseball Regionals this year. At 40-9 overall and 14-1 in the Big East, it might look like the Huskies are a host. Unfortunately, your RPI (#38, Thursday) would indicate otherwise. The Big East just isn’t such a strong baseball conference; The strength of the UConn timeline hovers in the 200s.
The school has made an offer to host the regionals, but any program in the country can do that. Getting a bid accepted is the hardest part.
“It’s not something I spend a lot of time thinking about,” Penders said. “You’re thinking about winning games. You win enough games, I suppose we’ll be in a position to discuss that.”
UConn would have to win its last seven regular season games and then win the Big East tournament to be in contention to host. And even then, there is no guarantee.
In fact, the Huskies still don’t have a guaranteed offer for a major tournament, though it would take a major meltdown in the next few weeks not to get one.
Essentially, a team needs to rank among the top 16 in the country to host a regional. This is not always the case, of course. Last year, Old Dominion’s facilities weren’t up to par, so ended up having to play in South Carolina, even as a seed. In fact, the last time UConn, or any team in the Northeast, hosted a regional was in 2010, when the No. 2 seeded Huskies hosted Norwich’s Dodd Stadium.
“It’s been a long time,” Penders noted. “It would be good to have some representation in the Northeast. We have a lot of baseball fans in Connecticut who would love to be a part of that.”
There are other obstacles. The park’s capacity is around 1,500, although Penders believes that with the wide berm in the right field line, and perhaps the addition of temporary bleachers in left field, Elliot could accommodate more than 10,000 fans.
Of course, parking would be an issue. In fact, it already is, even with only a few hundred spectators watching most games.
Ultimately, it’s a long shot for this season. But then, few expected UConn to be 40-9 at this point.
Crawford still highly rated
The Huskies achieved their remarkable record this season without the services of Reggie Crawford, the dynamic left-handed/first baseman who had Tommy John surgery last fall. Crawford has been on the bench cheering his teammates for most games, and he’s still on the minds of Major League Baseball teams as the amateur draft approaches in mid-July.
Despite being sidelined all season, Crawford is still seen as a potential pick late in the first round, early in the second round – or higher.
“I heard it midway through the first round,” Penders said. “Look, if he’s there, you have to take him. The boy is a freak. The advantage is incalculable.”
david.borges@hearstmediact.com