COLUMBUS, Ohio – The pinnacle of the spring sports postseason has arrived, as the Ohio High School Athletic Association will conduct state tournaments this week in softball, baseball and track and field.
On Thursday morning, the 39th annual softball state tournament begins at historic Firestone Stadium in Akron, while the 89th annual baseball state tournament gets underway at beautiful Huntington Park in downtown Columbus. Please see below for softball and baseball state tournament pairings.
On Friday morning, the 109th annual boys and 42nd annual girls track and field state tournament begins at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at The Ohio State University. Please see below for state qualifiers and important state meet information (traffic, parking, facility regulations, walk-through, etc.).
State Tournament Tickets (children ages 2 and under are free)
SOFTBALL: Tickets are $8 each at the gate per person per session. During the semifinals, both games in each division are one session. There is no pre-sale.
BASEBALL: Tickets are $8 each at the gate per person per day. There is no pre-sale.
TRACK: Tickets are $10 each at the gate per person per day. There is no presale.
Softball and Baseball State Tournament Information
- Pairings and Schedule: SEE BELOW
- Softball State Tournament Coverage: http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/sb/girls/2016/2016SBcoverage.htm
- Baseball State Tournament Coverage: http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/bb/boys/2016/2016BBcoverage.htm
- Coaches and Media Teleconferences June 1: The head coaches of the teams that have reached the softball and baseball state tournaments will be available during a media teleconference on Wednesday, June 1, for 10 minutes each. Media are to contact Tim Stried ([email protected]) for details.
- RADIO COVERAGE: See below for OHSAA Radio Network broadcast information. All 12 games from both state tournaments will be broadcast live by the network.
- TELEVISION COVERAGE: The softball state championship games will be shown on tape-delay by SportsTime Ohio. The baseball state championship games will be shown live by Time Warner Cable.
- Media credentials and parking note: Please see the link above for the state tournament credential center. Note that there are no media parking passes available for the softball and baseball state tournaments.
OHSAA Radio Network broadcast information for the baseball and softball state tournaments is posted at: http://www.ohsaa.org/news/Radio/radiohome.asp
Radio stations – please see details below the pairings below for state tournament broadcast information, which can include a fee waiver of regional and state tournament rights fees.
Track and Field
- State Tournament Schedule: http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/tf/StateSchd.pdf
- State Tournament Qualifiers: http://www.baumspage.com/ohsaa/tf/2016/index.htm
- State Tournament Information: http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/tf/StateTournamentInformation.pdf
- State Tournament Coverage: http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/tf/2016/2016TFcoverage.htm
- Track & Field Home: http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/tf/default.asp
Important State Meet Traffic Flow Announcement
Due to multiple events occurring in the area, all guests coming to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for the state track and field meet should use the Ackerman Road exit from State Route 315. For reference, Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium is located at 2450 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus, but please use the Ackerman Road exit even if coming from south of the stadium.
Participant Drop Off and School Vehicle Parking
School vehicles (busses and school vans) will be permitted to enter the parking lot just south of the stadium to drop off state qualifiers and coaches. On Friday, only vehicles marked as “school transportation” (busses and school vans) will be permitted to park by the OSU baseball stadium (south end of the drop-off lot). On Saturday, only vehicles marked as “school transportation” (busses and school vans) will be permitted to park in the ABB lot on the north side of Ackerman Road (north of the stadium). Participants arriving in non-school vehicles do not have access to these parking areas.
State Meet Walk-Through Available June 2
The track at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium (not the shot put or discus areas) will be open from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, for state qualifying student-athletes to visit, if desired. This availability is only for a “walk-through” and no implements (including batons, hurdles, starter blocks, shot puts, discus, etc.) are permitted. The facility will not open until 4 p.m. and will close promptly at 6 p.m.
Spike Regulation
Spikes longer than 1/4″ pyramids are not permitted. Needle spikes and Christmas tree spikes are not permitted. The clerks will be checking spike length just before the races and at check-in. If a competitor is in violation of this rule, he/she will not be allowed to participate.
Temporary Tents Not Permitted in Pole Vault Area
Attention pole vault state qualifiers: Temporary tents are not permitted to be set up in the pole vault area at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
RV Parking
RVs are permitted to park in the Buckeye Lots, which are located north of the stadium, on the west side of Fred Taylor Drive (just north of the shot put and discus areas). RVs that arrive prior to Friday must pay for each parking space that is in use. Parking fees are paid to OSU CampusParc: http://osu.campusparc.com
2016 Softball State Tournament Pairings
All Games at Firestone Stadium, Akron
Home Team Listed First. Rankings as of Final Coaches Association State Poll.
Division IV
Jeromesville Hillsdale (24-3) vs. #5 Strasburg-Franklin (24-6) Thursday, June 2, 10 a.m.
#7 Williamsburg (28-0) vs. #4 Convoy Crestview (24-4), Thursday, June 2, 12:30 p.m.
Div. IV State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 10 a.m.
Division III
#1 Wheelersburg (25-2) vs. Johnstown-Monroe (24-7), Thursday June 2, 3 p.m.
#7 Canfield South Range (28-3) vs. #6 Milan Edison (24-3), Thursday, June 2, 5:30 p.m.
Div. III State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 1 p.m.
Division II
#2 LaGrange Keystone (27-4) vs. Hamilton Ross (21-7), Friday, June 3, 10 a.m.
#7 Akron Archbishop Hoban (23-5) vs. #1 Hebron Lakewood (27-0), Friday, June 3, 12:30 p.m.
Div. II State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 4 p.m.
Division I
#3 Mason (25-2) vs. #9 Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (22-5), Friday, June 3, 3 p.m.
#5 Amherst Steele (25-5) vs. #4 Ashville Teays Valley (22-6), Friday, June 3, 5:30 p.m.
Div. I State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 7 p.m.
2016 OHSAA Baseball State Tournament Pairings
All games at Huntington Park, Columbus
Home team listed first. Rankings as of Final Coaches Association State Poll.
Division II
Home team listed first
No. 2 Steubenville (25-2) vs. No. 1 Defiance (27-2), Thursday, June 2, 10 a.m.
No. 12 Poland Seminary (28-3) vs. Hamilton Badin (20-10), Thursday, June 2, 1 p.m.
Div. II State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 10 a.m.
Division I
Home team listed first
Cincinnati La Salle (24-7) vs. No. 8 Solon (25-4), Thursday, June 2, 4 p.m.
No. 17 Cleveland St. Ignatius (22-10) vs. Pickerington North (21-9), Thursday, June 2, 7 p.m.
Div. I State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 1 p.m.
Division III
Home team listed first
Versailles (22-4) vs. No. 1 Berlin Hiland (28-2), Friday, June 3, 10 a.m.
Bellville Clear Fork (19-12) vs. No. 7 Apple Creek Waynedale (25-4), Friday, June 3, 1 p.m.
Div. III State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 4 p.m.
Division IV
Home team listed first
No. 10 Fort Recovery (22-8) vs. No. 5 Newark Catholic (22-9), Friday, June 3, 4 p.m.
No. 15 North Lewisburg Triad (25-7) vs. Cuyahoga Heights (14-9), Friday, June 3, 7 p.m.
Div. IV State Championship: Saturday, June 4, 7 p.m.
OHSAA Radio Network to Broadcast Baseball and Softball State Tournaments
The OHSAA Radio Network broadcast every game from the baseball and softball state tournaments June 2-4. By carrying some of the broadcasts, radio stations can have their own regional and state tournament rights fees waived. The fee waiver can be applied to individual stations, or to a cluster of stations under the same management. Please contact Tim Stried for details.
2016 Baseball and Softball State Tournaments Program Log (20 local avails each game): http://www.ohsaa.org/news/Radio/2016BaseballSoftball/2016BaseballSoftballTemplate.pdf
2016 Baseball and Softball State Tournaments Network Delivery Details: http://www.ohsaa.org/news/Radio/2016BaseballSoftball/2016BaseballSoftballNetworkDelivery.pdf
OHSAA Radio Network Home: http://www.ohsaa.org/news/Radio/radiohome.asp
What is the OHSAA Radio Network? http://www.ohsaa.org/news/Radio/RadioNetworkExplanation.pdf
Which Stations Have Carried the Network? http://www.ohsaa.org/news/Radio/Affiliates.pdf
