PRESS RELEASE – Major League Baseball has announced that Roger Dean Stadium will be one of four venues to host the newly created qualification rounds for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The event is scheduled for five days beginning September 19th and runs through the 23rd. Israel, France, South Africa and Spain will compete for the chance to play in the 2013 World Baseball Classic in March.
For the first time ever, a qualifying round will be held to determine the final set of teams that will compete in the main tournament. 16 teams will compete in the qualification rounds at four different venues world wide. Roger Dean Stadium, along with Regensburg, Germany, Panama City, Panama and New Taipei City, Taipei will be the sites for the upcoming qualifiers. The four winners of the distinctive qualifiers will advance to the main tournament that will take place during Spring Training in 2013.
“This is a prestigious honor that Roger Dean Stadium has been chosen to hold a qualifying round,” said Roger Dean Stadium General Manager Mike Bauer. “We are very excited to host this premiere event and look forward to working with Major League Baseball and the four international teams. This is a premiere event for the Town of Jupiter and Palm Beach County.”
The four countries invited to the qualifying round will arrive a few days before the start of the tournament and will participate in team practices on Roger Dean Stadium’s back fields. The event will be a double-elimination tournament, which will take five days to complete.
Six-game tournament ticket packs and group plans will go on sale July 30th. Six-game tournament ticket packs will be $48, while group rates start at $8. Individual tickets will go on sale Monday, August 13th at 10 a.m. Individual tickets will be $10 for adults, $5 for children (12 and under).
To order tickets for the World Baseball Classic Qualifying Round, please visit http://www.Ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000. Additional information can also be found at www.RogerDeanStadium.com.