90th NBC World Series begins Thursday at Eck Stadium

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The defending champion Hutchinson Monarchs play the first game of the 90th National Baseball Congress World Series. The Monarchs play Thursday at 6 p.m. at Eck Stadium against TPA Texas. Gates open at 5 p.m.

In 2023, the Monarchs stopped the three-year run of championships by the Santa Barbara Foresters, who have won 10 championships overall. Hutchinson was just the second team other than Santa Barbara and the Seattle Studs to win the NBC World Series since 2011.

Seattle and Santa Barbara are both in the tournament this year; Seattle’s first game is Thursday at 8:30 p.m. against Tulsa Sandlot, and Santa Barbara plays at 6 p.m. against the GPS Legends. The tournament’s 16 teams will play in pools of four through July 30, with the top three teams advancing to a single-elimination bracket starting July 31.

Eck Stadium has hosted every game of the tournament since 2022. The NBC World Series used to be held at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, and it was played there every year from 1935-2018. Wichita’s newer downtown ballpark, Riverfront Stadium, hosted the final days of the tournament in 2021. The NBC and the City of Wichita have not reached an agreement on playing the tournament there.

A feature of this year’s tournament is the return of Baseball ‘Round the Clock, a popular aspect of past tournaments that was discontinued in 2016. Fans can watch 11 games in 33 hours beginning July 27 with a midnight game between Hutchinson and Tulsa. A 3 a.m. game on July 28 pits the GPS Legends against the Haysville Aviators.

The NBC World Series has long been a pitstop for future stars of the game. There are about 30 former NBC World Series players currently in the major leagues, including Paul Goldschmidt and Ryan O’Hearn. Hall of Famers such as Chipper Jones, Ozzie Smith, Tom Seaver, Satchel Paige and stars such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire are among the dozens of former big leaguers to play in the NBC.

Fans attending opening night could receive a Paige bobblehead, given to the first 1,000 fans. Paige played for the Bismarck, N.D. team that won the first NBC World Series in 1935, when he was a legend in Black Baseball. His time with the Kansas City Monarchs and later with the Cleveland Indians, whom he helped win the Major League Baseball World Series in 1948, made him an icon.

The promotional schedule includes celebration of 90 years of the tournament, Military Appreciation Day, First Responders Night, a celebration of women in baseball and Educator Appreciation Night.

The tournament runs through August 3, when the champion is crowned.

Copyright 2024 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com