Lenz Field

I’m not impressed with this facility, their required accommodations, concession stand offering, or officiating.
This facility is in beautiful Jacksonville Illinois. However it sits on the edge of town without a lick of shade to be found. The all AstroTurf fields add 10 – 15 degrees to the temp and it is almost unbearable. No, bleachers, no umbrellas, no covered areas to get a break from the heat.
The tournament organizers require that you use their service for hotel accommodations. This means you are always booked into hotels in Springfield which is 40 miles away. The kickback to the tournament must be in the price of rooms because I could have booked significantly cheaper at the same hotel had I done it myself.
The park does not allow outside food or drink but only offers only limited selection at the concession stand. They have ice but refuse to sell even a cup of it to park guests (see rant about heat and shade above). We finally had to start sneaking it in from the Subway across the street.
I’ll make this last paragraph about officiating short and say that the rumors about home field advantage have been found to be true. I’ll not malign the umpires themselves, but I will say that the pressure to give advantage to the home teams is clear. Lenz Field is a poor host who would do well to be reminded that if they want teams to keep coming, they will treat their guests better. The next better place is always on the horizon. You won’t find our team back here next year.