The North Carolina stranglehold on hosting ACC tournaments has been broken, at least for now.
University of Louisville baseball fans, who have grown accustomed to extended seasons, will now get to see even more post-season games at home in Louisville. Not the home stadium, but downtown at Slugger Field in 2017.
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Tuesday that the ACC baseball tournament will be played in downtown Louisville. The tournament has long been hosted at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park but moved by the conference as a result of the bathroom legislation (yeah, that bathroom legislation) in North Carolina.
Louisville Slugger Field, which opened in 2000, boasts a seating capacity of 13,131. Home of the Louisville Bats, the stadium played host to the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game and features 32 private suites in addition to second-level club seating.
“The city of Louisville knows how to host big events, especially sporting events, and I believe all of the ACC teams will enjoy the experience of playing in a great sports town and in a terrific ballpark,” said UofL baseball head coach Dan McDonnell. “I’m also excited our fan base will have the opportunity to experience and support the ACC Baseball Championship.”
Tuesday’s announcement by the ACC, which included the unveiling of six other championship sites for 2016-17, followed last week’s announcement that the ACC Football Championship Game will be played Dec. 3 at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium. Eight states within the ACC footprint are now scheduled to host at least one conference championship during the current academic year.