The Alabama High School Athletic Association has signed a new 5-year deal with the city of Oxford and Jacksonville State University to play the baseball and softball championships at Choccolocco Park in Oxford and at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The AHSAA State Softball Championships moved to Oxford’s Choccolocco Park in the spring of 2021 and returned in 2022. The AHSAA State Baseball Championships were moved last spring to Choccolocco Park’s Signature Baseball Field – due to a schedule conflict at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium – for Game 1 of each of the best-of-3 championship series for each classification. Each baseball series was completed at JSU’s Jim Case Stadium.
“We are excited to have our state championships in both sports locked in for the next five years and hopefully for many years to come,” said AHSAA Executive Director Alvin Briggs. “Our experience with softball at Choccolocco Park and baseball last spring at Choccolocco Park and JSU was incredible. We had packed crowds for most of our games. Both sites provided real championship experiences and life-long memories for our teams, schools and communities that traveled to attend.”
Oxford Mayor Alton Craft expressed excitement to have the tournaments played in his city through 2027.
“We are grateful to host the state softball finals at Choccolocco Park and to co-host the AHSAA state baseball finals with Jacksonville State University,” Craft said. “The city of Oxford is proud to partner with the Alabama High School Athletic Association for these premier championships and we are looking forward to creating memorable experiences for our participants and guests.”
JSU Athletic Director Greg Seitz has been working with AHSAA championships for many years. “Jacksonville State couldn’t be more excited to secure the AHSAA baseball finals at Jim Case Stadium for the next five years,” he said. “We felt that the event in 2022 was a tremendous success and are proud to be a part of that going forward. Our partnership with hosting AHSAA events goes back many years, and we look forward to crowning state champions on our campus and hosting those student-athletes and their fans for many years to come.”
The new contract, which begins May 15-20, 2023, will solidify the two spring sports championships on fields that have hosted a number of state and national events.
