Why 2022 NBC World Series isn’t returning to Riverfront Stadium, but could in future
The National Baseball Congress World Series is not returning to Riverfront Stadium this summer, a change after Wichita’s new downtown ballpark hosted championship week of the historic summer tournament last summer.
Instead, the 88th NBC World Series will be split between two sites with Hutchinson’s Hobart-Detter Field hosting the first four days and Wichita State’s Eck Stadium hosting championship week during the 10-day event from July 28 to August 6.
Neither side were willing to discuss the specifics of why they were unable to reach an agreement for this summer, but NBC World Series tournament director Kevin Jenks and Wichita Wind Surge CEO Jordan Kobritz said this year’s decision is not a final one moving forward.
“We weren’t able to come to an agreeable situation,” Jenks told The Eagle. “It’s unfortunate. In 2021, playing downtown was great for our teams and for the NBC and everyone involved. We had been having conversations, but we had to do the best situation for the NBC World Series. Things change, though. We’re not closing the door on returning to Riverfront Stadium. There’s always an opportunity for us to return, but it’s just not going to happen this year.”
“It’s not going to work out for 2022, but we both reserve the right to get together again and see what 2023 and beyond looks like,” Kobritz said to The Eagle.
Since the November 2018 demolition of Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, the NBC World Series’ home since 1935, the tournament has been without a true annual host.
It’s a point of pride to Jenks for the legacy of the tournament to continue and even if it doesn’t end in a brand-new downtown ballpark, Jenks was plenty excited to return to Wichita State and Hutchinson.
“Wichita State has been accommodating and certainly was there for us in 2019 after Lawrence-Dumont Stadium had been torn down and was there for us in 2020 in the first year of the pandemic,” Jenks said. “We’re fortunate to be able to stay in Wichita and keep the tradition going here. We’re at 88 years and we haven’t missed a beat.”
The format for this summer’s NBC World Series will return to a 16-team field with four pools of four teams competing over a six-day period. The top two teams from each pool will advance to a single-elimination bracket to determine a national champion on Saturday, August 6.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 4:35 PM.
.jpg)