Four high school baseball teams, including three from Centre County, will play in the inaugural Happy Valley Hardball Classic on April 20 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, State College and DuBois Central Catholic will square off in the new tournament hosted by the State College Spikes, according to a news release from the club on Thursday.
“We are so excited to have the chance to compete against some of the best teams Central Pennsylvania has to offer, and especially to do it against the backdrop of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park,” State College coach Dave Williams said in a statement. “Many of our players have grown up attending Penn State and State College Spikes games since they were children, so this will be a wonderful opportunity for them to play the game they love in a fantastic environment, and against elite competition.”
Defending state champions Bald Eagle and Bellefonte will meet at 9 a.m. and State College will face DuBois Central Catholic at noon. The consolation game is set for 3 p.m. and the winners of the first two games will play for the championship at 6 p.m.
“The Bellefonte Red Raiders are excited to be participating in the Happy Valley Hardball Classic,” Bellefonte coach Jon Clark said in a statement. “Not only will we have an opportunity to play against some of the premier teams in the area, but we are also looking forward to playing at one of the area’s premier facilities.”
Admission will be free, with food and beverages available for purchase. Pre-paid parking through the ParkMobile app will be available in the Porter North and Jordan East lots is $5.50, while the day-of-event rate will be $40 because of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials going on concurrently at the Bryce Jordan Center. Additional parking is also available at the East Parking Deck for $1 per hour.
Bald Eagle and Bellefonte will be returning to the site of their 2023 PIAA championship victories. The Eagles won the AA title on June 17 at Medlar Field, and hours later the Raiders won the AAA crown.
“The Bald Eagle Area baseball program is very excited about this opportunity,” BEA coach Jim Gardner said in a statement. “Centre County has a great baseball tradition. This is a super way to highlight it by bringing four quality programs together at an awesome venue for what should be an outstanding day of baseball.”
DuBois Central Catholic also recently won a state title at Medlar Field, claiming the 1A crown in 2022, and played in the championship game there in 2023.
On April 20, they’ll be playing in a new-look facility. Over the winter, Medlar Field received several upgrades, including a new video board in left field with a high-definition, 2,739-square-foot screen (five times bigger than the old video board); a fresh Kentucky bluegrass field, new padded walls and LED lights for light shows.
State High senior Isabella DeLozier designed the inaugural logo for the Happy Valley Hardball Classic logo. Future Happy Valley Hardball Classics will feature a logo designed by a student from the school that earned the previous year’s tournament championship.
