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Robin Roberts Stadium to host a 2025 Centennial Baseball Game

Robin Roberts Stadium to host a 2025 Centennial Baseball Game

So much has happened since the last time the Prospect League All-Star baseball game was held.

The event, once held annually, was last held in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the sports world, but normalcy will return to the region’s wooden-bat baseball league in 2025.

The game will be held at Robin Roberts Stadium on North Grand Avenue, 100 years after it opened as Reservoir Park.

Count Jamie Toole, the owner and head storyteller of Springfield Lucky Horseshoes, was one of the most excited people when the news broke.

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“I think there were multiple owners in the league that wanted (the All-Star Game),” Toole said. “We had the owners meeting in ’22 and we’re doing it again this fall.

“We were unanimously chosen to organize it in 2025.”

Reservoir Park opened on May 12, 1925, and was renamed in 1976 after Springfield Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts.

“We’re excited,” Toole said. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the city. I really think we’re going to bring a lot of people from all 17 other communities (with teams in the Prospect League) to Springfield.”

Hosting the league’s owners meetings helped grow support for Springfield as the first All-Star host since 2019.

Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Wednesday, December 20, 2023.Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

“Springfield sells itself with all the craft breweries that come in the summer and all the extra things to do, like the (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum), Knights Action Park, the state fairgrounds,” Toole said. “For us, we’re just continuing to shine a spotlight on the community. Not to take away from any other venue in the Prospect League, but we have a lot to offer in Springfield.”

Prospect League Commissioner David Brauer applauded the decision in a statement on the league’s website.

“The return of the All-Star Game is a significant milestone in the continued rise of the Prospect League,” Brauer said. “With a track record of success and support, the League is confident that Springfield and the Lucky Horseshoes will do an excellent job of providing a great experience for the fans in attendance and the talented collegiate players involved.”

The 2025 Prospect League All-Star Game is scheduled for July 8.

Toole added that the centennial celebration will be a season-long one for the Lucky Horseshoes, also honoring teams that previously played at Robin Roberts Stadium.

Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, [email protected]Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.

This article originally appeared in State Journal-Register: Prospect League 2025 All-Star Baseball Game to be Held in Springfield