Welcome back downtown: NBC World Series final going to Equity Bank Park
Since Katie Woods became the tournament director of the National Baseball Congress World Series, three questions have persisted.
When will NBC games be played downtown? Can you bring back Baseball ‘Round the Clock? And can you bring the Alaska teams back to the tournament?
Less than three years later, Woods now has answers to all three issues.
In a joint press conference with Wind Surge general manager Matt Hamilton and Wichita mayor Lily Wu, Woods announced Thursday morning that the championship game of the NBC World Series on Saturday, August 2, will be played at Equity Bank Park.
The rest of the tournament, from July 23 to August 1, will continue to be hosted by Wichita State at Eck Stadium, but for the first time since the new ballpark opened in 2021, Wichita’s premier summer baseball tournament will return downtown after playing there for more than 80 years at Lawrence Dumont Stadium.
“We’re really proud of our home at Wichita State and we’re really excited about this opportunity to celebrate our history and legacy of the NBC at Equity Bank Park,” Woods told The Eagle. “So many people associate the NBC with being downtown and I think playing baseball in a ballpark of that caliber is really special. This is going to be something that these players will remember for their entire life, playing that championship game in downtown Wichita.”
After a successful return in 2024 following an eight-year hiatus, fans will once again have the opportunity to participate in a marathon of baseball at this summer’s tournament. Baseball ‘Round the Clock will feature 11 games in a 33-hour span, lasting from noon Saturday, July 26, through a 6 p.m. game on Sunday, July 27.
In another coup for the tournament, Woods has successfully brought the Alaska Goldpanners back into the fold for this summer. The Goldpanners were a traditional NBC power during the tournament’s heyday, winning six World Series championships (the last coming in 2002) and producing more than 200 Major League Baseball players, including Barry Bonds and Tom Seaver.
“It’s been really fun to find ways to bring back those old traditions and make them new again,” Woods said. “We really tried to figure out how do we bring all of the baseball in Wichita together? How do we make that partnership stronger again?”
With help from Hamilton, the door that had previously been closed to the NBC World Series has now been opened to playing downtown again.
But the days of playing the entire tournament in downtown Wichita are not likely to return, at least not soon.
The NBC World Series just re-upped a contract with WSU to host the bulk of the tournament at Eck Stadium through 2027. And Woods points out that it makes sense for the tournament, which plays a large amount of games in a short period of time, to be played on a turf field, like the one at Eck Stadium, rather than a grass field, like the one downtown, which would require much more maintenance.
“We’re always going to be exploring what makes the most sense in the current era for us,” Woods said. “Right now we feel like our home is at Wichita State, but now we have the opportunity to bring our championship night to downtown Wichita and make it feel like a really special, one-off event. That just feels right.”
There is a strong possibility that the format of hosting the bulk of the tournament games at WSU and playing the championship at Equity Bank Park continues past this summer, Woods added.
The Wind Surge have requested the 2026 championship night off in their schedule request to Major League Baseball, but until their schedule is finalized by MLB, it’s not yet possible to guarantee another downtown final next summer.
There will also be a coordinated push to promote the Wichita Baseball Museum, located at Equity Bank Park, that tells the story of the NBC World Series’ storied past.
“We are thrilled to partner with the NBC Baseball Foundation to bring Championship Night to Equity Bank Park,” Hamilton said in a statement. “This partnership strengthens Wichita’s baseball culture and offers fans an unforgettable experience in the heart of our city.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM.
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