State Baseball Championships this weekend have a new home at Great Park Stadium

Great Park Stadium is the host of the State Championships this weekend. (PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Orange County’s Great Park Baseball Stadium will be the host for the first time of the 3C2A Baseball State Community College Baseball Championships over Memorial Day Weekend. Another organization, the 3CAA (Community College Coaches Association) is also involved.

Guy Lemmon, president of the Ryan Lemmon Foundation, said his group is co-sponsoring the tournament in conjunction with the Orange County Riptide.

Four teams from around the state, including Santa Ana College, are involved in the double elimination tournament.

Southern California’s top seed Palomar will meet the North’s No. 2 seed Feather River on Saturday at noon in the opening game. In the second game, the North’s No. 1 seed Ohlone will take on the South’s No. 2-seed Santa Ana College at 6 p.m.

Games will continue with three games and one, possibly two on Monday at the Great Park Stadium, which has hosted many high school baseball games, including the Ryan Lemmon Invitational and the Orange County North-South All-Star Game. It was also the temporary home for USC before the Trojans moved into their new stadium.

Lemmon has been working with officials of the Community College Baseball Coaches Association and state officials to make sure the event is successful and well attended. He believes the Great Park Stadium is an excellent site, pointing to the facility, but also the ample and free parking available.

“College coaches have talked to me in years past about the desire to want to have a more elevated experience for the championship,” Lemmon said. “And that was really about going to the Great Park in Irvine. Myself, on behalf of the Ryan Lemmon Foundation in combination with the Orange County Riptide, together we’ve co-sponsored the event.”

In past years, rental fees for the stadiums have not been an issue because there were no charges of the events at community college stadiums.

“That was the single biggest hurdle was trying to figure out the economics because our two non-profits bear the cost of the facility and we try to make it up in sponsors and ticket sales and snack bar,” Lemmon said.

“We’re not trying to make a profit, we’re just trying to create a better experience. My hope is that the community college championship will be a permanent item at the Great Park and it will be analogous to {community college} baseball fans as Omaha is to the College World Series.”

Lemmon would also like to arrange for television coverage for the event.

Lemmon has reached out to organizers of the Irvine Pony Memorial Day Tournament, which is hosting hundreds of teams this weekend for its 34th annual event. Opening ceremonies are Thursday night at Harvard Park.

He invites players and their families from all youth leagues in Orange County to come by for the community college tourney.

“For every four youth that come with an adult, if the kids wear their uniform top, something that indicates they are a baseball player, baseball, softball, it doesn’t matter and they get in for free with one paid adult, otherwise they pay $10,” Lemmon said. “My hope is that those kids who come whether they are 8 years old or a junior in high school, that it’s a great way to see that next level of baseball.

“It’s a good opportunity to see high quality and people say that the California junior college system is the best junior college basebll in the country.”

The community college tournament has been held for more than 75 years.

“Over a period of time, there was a time when it was at Fresno for about 20 years, but for the last 10 years their business model has been to go to a place for two years, then switch and go someplace else,” Lemmon said. “The last two years it was at Mt. SAC.

“We’re kind of hoping we can create a good atmosphere and a good experience,” Lemmon said.

Schedule

Saturday: Palomar vs. Feather River, noon; Ohlone vs. Santa Ana College, 6 p.m.

Sunday: Games TBA

Monday: 11 a.m., if neccessary game 45 minutes after first game.

Tickets

Prices are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and youth. Youth players (four to a group) are admitted free with one adult paid admission. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the games.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com