ODAC Inks Two-Year Deal with Salem for Baseball Tournament Play

ODAC Inks Two-Year Deal with Salem for Baseball Tournament Play

FOREST, Va. --- The ODAC Baseball Tournament has undergone quite a few changes over the past few years with a new split weekend format introduced in 2018. Change continues in 2018-19 with a new location for the final weekend. Haley Toyota Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark will serve as the final weekend host for each of the next two seasons.

Alterations to events in Lynchburg surrounding the ODAC's final weekend of tournament play necessitated a new venue for championship play. Lynchburg City Stadium has long been the traditional home of the conference tournament. City Stadium, in conjunction with the Lynchburg Hillcats Carolina League Single-A franchise, co-hosted 25 tournaments including each of the past 13 years.

RELATED: ODAC Baseball Championship History

Salem Memorial Ballpark, along with the Salem Carolina League Single-A franchise, have been the host of four ODAC Tournaments in 1982, 2001, 2002, and 2005. The conference made an impromptu appearance in Salem in 2014 when weather forced the tournament to an extra day of competition. Salem welcomed eventual champion Randolph-Macon College and Bridgewater College for not one but two games in the league's double-elimination format.

"We are fortunate to have such great venues for hosting championships," explained ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston. "Salem Memorial Ballpark has been a great location for championships in the past and we look forward to more of the same for the next two years. The past 13 years at Lynchburg City Stadium have been wonderful for our student-athletes and we look forward to returning to the Hill City in the future."

The 2019 ODAC Tournament is slated for the first two weekends in May. Seeds 1-4 will host best-of-three first round series against seeds 5-8 on the weekend of May 3-5. The four winners will meet for double-elimination play at Haley Toyota Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark to determine the conference champion the weekend of May 10-12.

For more information on ODAC baseball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.