The Illinois state high school baseball tournament isn’t coming back to Peoria’s Dozer Park for the foreseeable future.
The Illinois High School Association announced Wednesday that its board of directors approved an agreement to hold the Class 1A and 2A finals at Illinois Field in Champaign through 2030.
“While the news today from IHSA is not the news we had hoped for, I know that our partnership with IHSA remains one of the strongest in the state and we look forward to our work together as a leading destination of IHSA championships,” said J.D. Dalfonso, CEO of Discover Peoria.
Dozer Park had hosted the 1A and 2A tournaments since 2011, but last year the games were moved to the University of Illinois campus following a scheduling conflict with the Peoria Chiefs.
Major League Baseball handles scheduling for the Chiefs, the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Chiefs had a home series against Quad Cities last June, the same dates the IHSA set for the 1A and 2A finals.
At that time, IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said the conflict wasn’t noticed “until it was too late” and efforts to work with MLB to find a solution were unsuccessful.
“We are disappointed to see the 1A/2A state finals leave Peoria after years at Dozer Park. Dozer Park is the premier baseball stadium in the state of Illinois and should be where state championships are played,” a Chiefs spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.
“We understand the IHSA was looking for a turf location and we wish them the best in their next chapter.”
This year’s 1A and 2A finals are scheduled for June 12-13; the Chiefs are scheduled to be on the road at South Bend that weekend.
