FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
* The following questions and aswers were prepared by the staff at Lenz Field, LLC to help you have a great experience. If you would like to email our staff direct with more questions please feel free to use our contacts section of this website
Question: Are all your tournament games played at Lenz Field & Sports Complex in Jacksonville?
Answer: In 2014 and 2015 we utilized an off-site complex in Chatham. We found that this was a logistical challenge for our staff, and that most teams really wanted all their games in Jacksonville on our turf fields. Therefore, starting in the fall of 2015 most all tournament games are going to be played on the turf in Jacksonville. We may be utilizing Sacred Heart Griffin High School’s 100% all synthetic turf state of the art field, the newly turfed Schlitt Park in Springfield, and the newly turfed Illinois College field for some boys division games in 2016 & 2017. These fields are rated as some of the top turf fields in the state of IL. For a photos of SHG’s field click here. For information on the new fields at Illinois College click here. Finally, The University of Illinois Springfield is turfing their field in the summer of 2017, and we will be utilizing that field starting at the end of July 2017. By that time we will have 10 turf fields for our events!!!!!!
Question: Do you charge admission to your complex?
Answer: Yes we charge admission to most all tournaments and several High School and All Star games. These rates are posted on our website under tournament rules.
Question: When are your tournament schedules released and where do I find them?
Answer: Typically the schedule for a tournament is released on the Tuesday night or Wednesday morning before the event. It is always posted on our Lenz Field home page.
Question: What is your GPS address?
Answer: 1600 West Walnut Jacksonville, IL 62650 (This will take you to the hospital, and Lenz Field is directly west of the hospital)
Question: Do you allow metal cleats on your fields?
Answer: The first few years of the complex we have allowed metal cleats. As of February 12, 2013, because of the constant turf repairs from the damage caused by metal cleats, METAL CLEATS ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED on any field. Players can wear molded rubber cleats, turf shoes or tennis shoes. There is really no need to purchase a special pair of shoes for these two fields, as tennis shoes work great on turf.
Question: If we stay in a hotel in Springfield how far of a drive is it?
Answer: It is approximately 35 miles from the west side of Springfield to our complex.
Question: Why did you hire Traveling Teams to handle your hotel bookings?
Answer: With the addition of our sixth turf field in 2012 our tournaments were becoming to big for our staff to handle the hotel reservations.
Question: Where do you draw most of your teams from?
Answer: Chicago and St. Louis, but teams come from all over the Midwest and even farther for our World Series and All Star events.
Question: Do you allow walk-in coolers? Do you allow alcohol?
Answer: We do not allow walk-in coolers, no outside food/drink please. We have a full concession stand with the grill going every weekend. We do allow large team water coolers for the dugout and individual water jugs for players to be brought into the park. We do not allow alcohol at Lenz Field & Sports Complex.
Question: How soon after it rains are your fields playable?
Answer: Fields 3 and 4 sometimes need about 10 minutes of squeegee work if it rains more than 2 inches. Field 1,2,5 and 6 are playable immediately, no matter the amount of rain. It is pretty amazing to think you can play baseball immediately after a 3 inch rain.
Question: Do you think we will see new teams if we play at Lenz Field & Sports Complex?
Answer: With our central location it is a very good possibility we will have teams from Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis all in the same event. We try very hard to make sure teams play teams from outside their region.
Question: What are the biggest positives and negatives to playing on turf?
Answer: The biggest positive would have to be the elimination of rain-outs. Teams spend a lot of money to play travel baseball, and getting games in is the most important thing. As for a negative, it would be hard to find any in our opinion. We think our turf fields are awesome and we are very proud of them.
Question: Do you allow pets?
Answer: No
Question: Do you have bleachers? Do you allow tents for shade?
Answer: Starting in 2017 all our fields have bleachers. We do allow tents for shade. All the offsite turf fields we use also have bleachers.
Question: Are you sanctioning your tournaments with any National programs?
Answer: Most of our baseball tournaments are unsactioned events; however we do host the 15u CABA World Series. In addition we host the Super 25 regionals with Perfect Game, including the 10u, 11u, 12u, 13u, 14u 15u, 16u, and 17u PG Super25 Central Super Qualifiers. Perfect Game is the top rated college showcase company in the nation. All our girls tournaments are sanctioned with ASA. Our All Star events are not sanctioned as well as some of our other weekend tournaments.
Question: We heard you guys played 2 days after a 10 inch snow storm in March of 2013? Do you guys plow your fields of snow?
Answer: Not exactly. We played the next day after the snow storm! Click here and scroll to bottom of page for some amazing videos. Yes we have been know to plow our fields if the weekend is large enough to warrant that!! Here are some amazing videos of us plowing snow: https://www.lenzfieldhistory.com/college-testimonials/
Question: Is Lenz Field & Sports Complex owned by the city of Jacksonville?
Answer: No, Lenz Field & Sports Complex is independently owned by Tom Lenz and is operated by his staff.
Question: How much does it cost to build a turf field?
Answer: There are many different ways to answer this question. If you are just talking about turf, rock and drainage an estimate would be $7 per square foot. This of course depends on the type and quality of the turf you select. If you are talking about an entire field, it would depend on the fence, lights, dug outs, press box, concession, concrete, etc. Field 1 at Lenz Field cost well over 1 million dollars. Field 4 cost approximately $400,000, excluding the cost of the land. Lenz Field does work very closely with a turf company, so if you are thinking about building a field please contact Tom Lenz for a quote.
Question: Do you feel your tournament rates are competitive?
Answer: There is no doubt our rates are competitive. If you check the tournament rates for the top complex’s in the country you will find Lenz is very competitive. If you check the rates of other turf fields, you will find that Lenz Field is actually on the low side. We feel that due to the turf fields and the fact we almost eliminate rain-outs, playing at Lenz Field is a very respectable and competitive bargain. In 2015 we have lowered our prices in order to attract even more teams.
Question: What has been the biggest reward in building this complex?
Answer: From a tournament standpoint the biggest reward in building this complex has been seeing all the athletes excitement when they come here for the first time. Especially for players that have never played on a turf field, the look on their faces is amazing. I think many of them feel like they are playing in a pro stadium!!
