Crushing Lake Erie

The main entrance to the ballpark at Avon, Jul-2009.

Except for the suites and party boxes, all the seating is on one level here.

Everything is artificial turf except for the mound and the circle at home plate.

Chronological Tour: Stop 344

• Location: Park Drive, west of Colorado (OH 611) and north of I-90, Avon, Ohio (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2009 as All Pro Freight Stadium
• Additional names: Sprenger Stadium (2017), Crushers Stadium (2020), Mercy Health Stadium (2022)
• Home team: Lake Erie Crushers, Frontier League (2009-present)
• Capacity: 5,000 (including berm seating)

Rating: 2 baseballs

The park itself is presentable. Fans walk up a short flight of stairs to a reasonably wide concourse, from which they can access all the seats except for the party decks and the suites, which are elevated. The concession stands and team store are right there on the main concourse. The stands extend the entire length of the foul lines. There is a berm beyond left field which is used as a seating area; the area beyond right field is taken up by the kids’ play area.

So what made me not give this park a high rating? To start with, there is only one road in and out of the park. This makes for horrible egress from the parking lot. The lot itself would not be so bad, except that it is mostly gravel (except for the paved premium parking area for season ticket holders and handicapped access) and the Crushers get $3 per car to park there.

Then there’s the game presentation. The pre-game music is way too loud, as is the announcer, who seems rather full of himself. At least twice a game, he gives out useless information because, he admits, he’s the PA guy and so he can. Meanwhile, he fails to announce fielding substitutions when they happen, and he doesn’t acknowledge a pinch-hitter as one. On top of all that, there is no lineup board in the park. I did see a fair number of people keeping score at the game (mainly Indians fans – the park is only about 20 miles from the Jake), and I know they would appreciate those in-game touches as well.

For three years, 2017-19, Sprenger Health Care Systems took over the ballpark naming rights. The provider has been a sponsor of the Crushers since their 2009 debut. The current naming sponsor, Mercy Health, is also a regional health care system.