The El Paso Chihuahuas and Southwest University Park will host the 2015 Gildan Triple-A Baseball National Championship game, to be nationally televised on the NBC Sports Network.
“It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to host one of Minor League Baseball’s jewel events, and to do it on a national stage,” said Alan Ledford, president of MountainStar Sports Group. “We look forward to welcoming the Triple-A Baseball community to El Paso and Southwest University Park, and to providing our fans with an opportunity to see the very best players and teams from the 2015 season.”
The game features the champions of the Pacific Coast League and the International League in a winner-take-all game.
Joining Ledford and Leeser in the announcement were Pat O’Conner, president and CEO of Minor League Baseball; Branch Rickey, president of the Pacific Coast League; Randy Mobley, president of the International League; and Brad Taylor, general manager of the El Paso Chihuahuas.
“Minor League Baseball views the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game as a jewel event for all of Minor League Baseball and a fitting conclusion to the Minor League season,” O’Conner said. “The level of excitement, intensity and competition of this championship game is indicative of its importance to the players as well. The 2015 game should be an especially exciting event as we tap into the unbridled passion and enthusiasm of the El Paso fans and community.”
The game will be in its tenth year when the Chihuahuas host in 2015. The Pacific Coast League leads the series 5-3, with this year’s contest to be played on September 16 in Charlotte, N.C. at the new BB&T Ballpark. Four teams (Sacramento, Columbus, Durham and Omaha) have played in the championship game twice with Sacramento and Columbus winning in each of their appearances.
Previously known as the Bricktown Showdown, the game was held annually at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Houston Astros). In 2011, it was decided that the game would be hosted in a different Triple-A city each year. Albuquerque, N.M. (2011), Durham, N.C. (2012), and Allentown, Pa. (2013) have hosted the game.
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