Shining bright

State College ballpark the centerpiece of NY-PL tonight

Guy Cipriano

UNIVERSITY PARK — The fifth host of the current version of the New York- Penn League All-Star Game plays in a $31.1 million ballpark resting on a college campus with mountain views.

CDT file photo/Christopher Weddle

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is the site of tonight’s fifth New York-Penn League All-Star game.

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After watching Medlar Field at Lubrano Park settle into its surroundings, the State College Spikes knew they had an ideal all-star site.

Tonight they receive a chance to showcase their venue and operation to an entire 14-team league.

Less than four years after playing their first game, the Spikes are welcoming league executives and top performers.

The Spikes believe the All-Star Game, which begins at 7:15 p.m. and matches players from the league’s seven National League and seven American League affiliates, represents the perfect forum to showcase professional baseball — and life — in State College.

“This is one of the cities and ballparks in the New York-Penn League that deserves an All-Star Game,” Spikes general manager Jason Dambach said. “The ballpark is such that if we didn’t bid on the game and never hosted the All-Star Game, we would probably be doing our fans and ourselves a disservice.”

The game marks the culmination of extended planning and anticipation.

The Spikes played their first game on June 20, 2006, and later that summer a group of team executives, including then-general manager Rick Janac, attended the league’s All-Star Game at Aberdeen’s Ripken Stadium. Hudson Valley and Tri-City hosted the following two games as the Spikes planned their all-star pitch.

League president Ben Hayes awarded this year’s game to State College during SpikesFest on Feb. 9, 2008. Preparations for tonight started immediately, with front office members working on logistics ranging from travel arrangements to sponsorships. The Spikes didn’t enter the process blind. Their management group hosted the 2006 Eastern League All-Star Game in Altoona and 2008 Carolina-California League All-Star Game in Myrtle Beach.

“But with that said, each situation is different,” Dambach said.

Festivities in Altoona revolved around Blair County Ballpark, one of professional baseball’s most scenic and entertaining venues.

The event in Myrtle Beach incorporated popular tourist attractions.

State College offered the Spikes distinct settings to conduct pre-game activities. The celebration started Sunday with a downtown street festival and continued during Monday night’s “Mountain Bash” at Tussey Mountain. Today’s events bring the NY-PL to Penn State’s expansive campus.

“I think we did a good job of incorporating all of those areas that make State College a special place,” Dambach said.

League and player development officials are hoping some special players emerge from tonight’s game. A condensed 76-game schedule — the NY-PL season includes just four off days — and frequent player movement makes procuring prospects for the game a difficult task.

A statistically-driven selection process is bringing 58 players to State College. Players and coaches left their respective teams after Sunday’s games and regular-season play resumes with a full schedule Wednesday. The NY-PL includes 14 affiliates — seven from each league — and player development officials were contacted after the league made its all-star selections. Pitching schedules represented the biggest concern among farm directors.

“It’s definitely one of those things where we get caught up in the day to day development and we start thinking, ‘He’s supposed to pitch Sunday and the All-Star Game is Tuesday,’” Pirates director of player development Kyle Stark said. “We have to step back and realize that a guy is getting rewarded. That’s important to us.”

Despite a 29-28 record, the Spikes tied for a league-low with just three selections — pitchers Zach Foster and Phil Irwin and infielder Brock Holt.

Foster is one of the game’s best stories.

The Pirates selected Foster in the 49th round of last year’s draft out of Division III Pitt-Bradford. He graduated from Bradford High School, which makes him the lone Pennsylvania native in tonight’s game.

“It’s a honor,” Foster said. “I don’t have to travel anywhere and we have one of the top stadiums in the New York-Penn League.”

The Spikes are hoping Medlar Field is filled tonight. The team has marketed the game throughout this summer, but tickets were still available as of Monday night.

The league debuted its all-star game format in 2005 to more than 9,000 fans at Brooklyn’s KeySpan Park. The subsequent three games attracted above-capacity crowds, with 6,149 fans filling Tri-City’s Bruno Stadium last year.

Auburn’s Dennis Holmberg, who has managed the Doubledays since 2002 and led the AL affiliates in 2007, expressed confidence in the game’s drawing power during a trip through State College earlier this month.

“The bottom line is that it’s a money maker,” said Holmberg, the league’s longest-tenured manager. “They will put a nice crowd in here. They have a great facility. I think it will do well.”

Club officials have big expectations.

“We want it to be the most successful night in our franchise history,” Dambach said. “That has been our goal since Day 1. We have had other successful nights, including the Opening Night in franchise history, but to me this is a signature event.”

New York-Penn League All-Star Game

When: 7:15 p.m., tonight

Where: Medlar Field at Lubrano Park

Format: National League affiliates vs. American League affiliates

Managers: NL — Pedro Lopez, Brooklyn; AL — Travis Fryman, Mahoning Valley

Schedule: 10-11 a.m. — Special Olympics clinic with players at Spring Creek Park, 3 p.m. — Gates open, 3-4:15 p.m. — AL batting practice and infield, NL autograph session; 4:15-5:30 p.m. — NL batting practice and infield, AL autograph session; 5:45-6:30 p.m. — Celebrity home run derby with Chris Bahr, Al Bumbry, Sid Bream, Justin Kurpeikis, John Wehner and Robbie Wine along with State College's Brock Holt and Staten Island's Neil Medchill; Postgame — Fireworks

Tickets: Available at Medlar Field box office, by calling 877-99-Spikes or at www.statecollegespikes.com