Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 14, 1995                   TAG: 9504210017
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MUNICIPAL FIELD'S RELIEF EFFORT IS EXTENDED INTO JUNE

The NCAA Division III World Series will not be played at Salem's new ballpark next month.

The eight-team tournament has been moved to Municipal Field, because the stadium under construction next to the Salem Civic Center will not be completed for the May 25-30 event.

That also means the Salem Avalanche won't be playing any Carolina League home games in the new facility until sometime in June. The target date had been May 22. An exact date for the new park's opener has yet to be determined, although the use of Municipal Field by the NCAA gives construction crews another six workdays next month at the 6,000-seat stadium.

The construction contract calls for the new park to be ready no later than June 20, the day the second half of the Carolina League schedule begins.

Salem city and Old Dominion Athletic Conference officials toured Municipal Field earlier this week with Tom Jacobs, assistant director of NCAA championships, and Jeff Albies, chairman of the Division III baseball committee and associate athletic director and baseball coach at William Paterson (N.J.).

The NCAA representatives saw the park under construction and toured Municipal Field, where the Avalanche opens its home season tonight. Salem Civic Center manager Carey Harveycutter, the tournament director, said NCAA officials OK'd the move for the double-elimination event of 14 or 15 games.

Jacobs said the delayed completion of the new facility will not have an impact on Salem's successful bid for the Division III championship.

``Potentially, there could have been a problem, but after touring the site, Jeff and I were satisfied,'' Jacobs said from the NCAA offices in Kansas. ``Obviously, we'd have preferred to be in the new stadium, but we understand the circumstances that are beyond our control. We're just happy the existing ballpark was there so we didn't have to move from Salem to another city.

``There was a possibility we might have done that, had we felt Municipal Field was a substandard facility for one of our championships. But it's a great old ballpark. There's a real feeling of baseball there. We'll play there, then move into the new park next year.''

The only major change the NCAA requested at Municipal Field is an extension of the netting above the right-field fence, toward right-center. Jacobs said the NCAA also had some safety concerns about the light poles being inside the outfield fences and the short distance between home plate and the backstop.

The NCAA baseball committee was told of the change in parks during a telephone conference call Thursday.

Last year, the city bid $6,500 annually for the World Series through 1997. Salem already is the site of Division III football (Stagg Bowl), men's basketball and softball and Division II softball championships.

Keywords:
BASEBALL