HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell is among the many in the state’s second largest city thrilled to secure the WVSSAC State Baseball Championships for the next few years.
The city, along with Marshall University and other local entities, put together a winning bid to host the tournament at Jack Cook Field on the university’s campus from 202-2028, with an option for 2029.
The tournament has been held in Charleston every year since the early 1980’s, with the exception of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the postseason. Every state champion in that time frame celebrated on the surface of the former Watt Powell Park in Kanawha City or GoMart Ballpark (formerly Appalachian Power Park) in downtown Charleston.
Jack Cook Field, which holds 3,500 fans, was completed in 2024 after decades of Marshall fans and alumni yearning for a baseball field they could call their own.
Farrell says without the nice, new ballpark, Huntington didn’t stand a chance of winning the bid.
“I think it starts with a world-class field at Marshall University,” Farrell said last week on MetroNews Midday. “We built something and certainly, people are starting to come, but also, the city has a lot to offer.
“It’s decades in the making,” he also said.
Farrell, who was elected as mayor last year, says offers everything it needs to in order to properly entertain and accommodate parents and fans.
“The city of Huntington delivers the full package of the field, the university, the restaurants, the downtown, and we think that it’s a place that families will want to come to in the summer,” he said.
Huntington was tested at the end of August with hosting a concert featuring country/folk star Zach Bryan at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The concert sold out and attracted over 40,000 people to the city at one time. Huntington Police Chief Phil Watkins and other officials called the night a success, as no incidents were reported and traffic moved well after the show.
Farrell says that was proof the city can withstand a big crowd.
“The Zach Bryan concert was a milestone for us. It was the first time the city of Huntington had a stadium concert,” Farrell said. “What we learned was that it is a big logistical challenge. We had to get a lot of cars in here in a short period of time — different than what we do at football games. We had to have all the security in line. We had to have the hotels all ready to accommodate people coming from all over.”
“It overwhelmed the city in a very good way, but what we proved is that we could handle it. The traffic, the safety, the hospitality, we did it all very well,” he continued.
Farrell says those around the city that will benefit from the economic impact the tournament brings will need to be ready.
“We always need to make sure we plan for the crowd that’s going to come. Our restaurants are going to have to figure out how much food they’re going to need. Our hotels are going to figure out how many rooms they have available and how much they need to block off and how far in advance families will start to book things,” he said.
While the preparation and logistics of hosting a tournament can be stressful, Farrell says it will be worth it for the entire city.
“What we really want here is for someone to come to Huntington and have a memory of watching their kids compete and for the kids to be on the field playing under the lights because we want them to then see themselves as part of the Huntington community and maybe come to Marshall or maybe come here to work,” Farrell said.
Next year’s WVSSAC State Baseball Championships will be held June 6-13. It will be the first year of an expanded format, which goes from four teams per class to now eight.