TESTIMONIALS FROM 2016 JUNIOR HIGH ALL STATE SHOWCASES:

Hello !

On behalf of my husband and I and especially my daughter, we’d like to “THANK YOU” for selecting my daughter to partake in this inaugural event ! This entire experience has been awesome for our daughter. Thank you also for choosing her to throw out the first pitch !  That was such and honor for her !

Nancy, Larry and Abby Bukantis – Ottawa Shepard

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Thank you Barry! The tournament was put together very well. This was our second year here and way to take it up a notch.  It was a pleasure ending our fall Jr high season, at your facilities. Rance met some great people and he  always enjoys playing “the turf”.

Sincerely,

Mark & Jill Bryant Parents of Rance Bryant – Schlarman Academy

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I enjoy shooting girls softball, and, thanks to the Umpires allowing me on the field, I was able to get Great Shots from shooting on the field.  There’s no way that I could get these kind of shots from thru the fence. You have a very nice facility for softball and baseball, it was a fun weekend and one could not have asked for better weather.

Best Regards,

Bill Miener – Father of Sam Meiner from Highland

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I would  like to say that my girls loved Coach Jamie Martin (Team W.Central), he worked hard with the girls and had fun with them too.  I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and I can’t wait to see this program excel in the future years to come.

Thanks – Zoe and Zaylei Evans’ mom, Kandice Kunkel – Winchester
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Barry,

Thank you so much for adding softball this year and for allowing me to coach the East team. I truly had an awesome experience and the girls were so great! I can’t wait to watch this tournament grow and to hopefully coach again in the future. Thank you again!

Christine Dickerson – Coach of the East Team – Softball

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I think overall the weekend was an amazing experience for the girls. I think it was a big success and Tinley was honored to play.

Thank you and have a great day,

Autumn Risinger – Mattoon

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This was the first time boys got picked from our school to attend the all state showcase and our boys had so much fun.    They made it to state and brought home 4th and to attend this and go into championship game 4-0 was a big accomplishment for the boys.   Thank you Lenz field for a great weekend

Chrissy Freitas – Bourbonnais UGC

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What an awesome experience this was for my son. Everything was extremely organized and well put-together. Excellent competition and most of all the boys had a great time thank you again for your hospitality It was greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Bob Zoelzer – Edwardsville Lincoln

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Great tournament weekend for the 8th grade teams that I watched. No teams were stacked with players and they all seemed very well balanced.  This was our first time playing in this event and we had a great time getting to see some of the top middle school talent from across the state.

Brett Johnson – Germantown Hills

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I think this weekend was a great experience for all of the athletes. It was great to see kids that compete locally against each other – team up to play that broader scope of players. We visit Lenz Field often for tourneys and always great facilities to play on.

Lisa Colon – Collinsville

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Barry,
This is our second year attending this event.  It has been a great experience for both of my sons.  The All State Showcase was very well organized and provided a perfect opportunity for my son to meet new people and play some baseball.
Thanks again.

Gregg Bradshaw -Pekin-St. Joseph’s

TESTIMONIALS FROM 2016 ELITE ALL STAR / SHOWCASES:

Good morning all.

Just wanted to send you a big thank you for all of your efforts to put this together once again. Communication from Barry was first class!
All of our “new” parents were very complimentary of the facility and how smoothly everything went. Great time once again!

Thank you!
Mark Galyean – Head Coach Indiana Nitro

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Hi all,

Thank you for a great weekend at the 4th Annual Stand Up to Cancer Elite All-Star Showcase .  It was organized and well run.  The facilities are first class and we absolutely had a great time.

Thanks again for a wonderful few days

Eric and Sean Menzel

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Hi guys,

Great tournament down here this week.  Thoroughly enjoying myself and I know are teams are loving it.  Looking forward to coming back next year with all the teams!

Thanks,
Greg Blaesing

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Barry,

Thank you and great job this weekend.  Our families were completely satisified and thought everything was great.

Thanks,

Tim Clark – Head Coach 12U Missouri

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Barry, just wanted to say thank you for choosing me to coach the 9u all star team from Central Illinois, I know my players, parents and coaches all had a great time.

Hayden Powers Central Illinois Swing/ Easton

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What a great weekend for Khi as he played in the Elite All Star Showcase in JACKSONVILLE, Illinois. Khi was the only kid from MS to be apart of the game. Not only did he play with some of the best 11 yr old in the Midwest he made friends for life. Special thanks to Lenz Field for all the great hospitality and for inviting him to be apart of this Great event.

Shaune-Chenelle Holiday

TESTIMONIALS FROM PAST JUNIOR HIGH ALL STATE SHOWCASES:

Once again thank you for a great weekend! Hope to be back next year as the Southwest coach. The players had a blast. Thanks Corey Vickrey.

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First of all, thank you for a great weekend! You and your staff did a great job organizing the event. Jaise had a great time playing baseball and making new friends. What a great opportunity! – Keshia Heaton

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We can’t Thank you enough for the invite. It was a wonderful time and memories and new friends that were made. Tommy had a great time.

Thank you again for everything.

Darla

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Chaser – Thanks for offering me the chance to coach this weekend at the all-star games.  I had a great bunch of boys to work with.  Thanks for all your hard work in getting this all organized.  I know my son had an awesome time.

Coach Hanslow

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Good morning all,

I wanted to express how much we enjoyed spending the weekend in Jacksonville with all of you and your family!!
I would liked to also express my heartfelt thank you to coaches Donovan and Hickman,(who with a days make that a few hours of practice was able to bring this group of wonderful players together as a team and new found friends!!) I would also like to say great Job to Sean Walker and Team Lenz!! This will be an experience and memory that these young men will cherish for a lifetime!!
Please share with your sons how truly honored we were to share such a special moment and time of their lives with them!!
Best of luck to all of them in their future endeavors in whatever they choose!!

Sincerely,

Delroy A. Robinson

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Sean, our family wanted to say Thank You to you and Lenz Field for holding the Jr. High All Star Tournament this past weekend.
Rece had a wonderful time, enjoyed playing back at Lenz Field, meeting new kids, and simply playing baseball!
He was one of the young men selected to the All Tournament Team and as parents we appreciate you recognizing his hard work and dedication to his sport.
A question: is it possible to find out who recommended Rece for the All Star team?  We assume his coach, Ron Smith, did.  But if it was someone else, Rece would like to send them a Thank You. The experience was beyond anything Rece could have expected.

Thank you again for a great weekend!

Michael and Jackie George

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Sean,

I wanted to send a thank you note to yourself and all of the staff at Lenz Field for putting on such a great event. Everything was done with amazing detail; the opening ceremonies, player recognition, tournament, and obviously the facility speaks for itself. The whole weekend was a blast and it was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to meet and talk with players from around the state and their families. Speaking personally for my son, he cherished the opportunity to share a dugout with players he would normally be playing against in summer tournaments. Thanks for recognizing these players and the immense amount of hardwork and dedication that they put into this sport. Everyone involved in the event in any way, shape, or form deserves a pat on the back and a big thank you today.

Andy Bender

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Coach Walker , just wanted to say “THANK YOU” for a memorable weekend last weekend. That was my 1st trip to Lenz and I ( like my assistants ) were impressed . The tournament was very well organized and a great chance to see some of the best young athletes in all of Illinois.. What an experience for a young athlete . Thanks again.   Jerry McDowell

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Testimonials from 2015:

Good Morning Tom,

My name is Ron Simpson, coach of the Beardstown Bandits. We played in the 10U girls tournament over the weekend. So many times business owners only here negative feedback, but I want to comment on a couple of items.Saturday morning the rain was a little undelightful to say the least. However, your staff and umpires were fantastic at keeping things progressing along smoothly. It really is a joy to be able to ply 10 minutes after a downpour. My biggest complement is an item that is unrelated to Softball. The children’s play area adjacent to field 5 is the greatest thing and complex could have. The parents that have young kids can let them play without fear and still enjoy a game. This is a bonus that made a lot of our parents happy yesterday. Every team was talking about how nice that was.

Thank you for the first class facility. We really enjoyed it and look forward to our next tournament at Lenz.

Good Morning USSSA Director and J.D.,

Thank you for organizing a great tournament JD, and for the USSSA support for the teams that played there Mr. Wabick.  It is a shame that more teams did not enter at one of the finest baseball facilities in the Midwest.  While I know that all the members of our team enjoyed the entire weekend, I thank each of you for the experiences offered to my son Noah.  He played at Lenz Field at your first tourney of 2010 way back in early April. And now he has closed his season out by playing at Lenz Field again in the last week of October.  Wow, that covers a 7 ½ month span for youth baseball in Illinois.  A true testament to your facility and organization.  Each time his baseball experience was memorable and for the rest of his life he will remember playing there.

Please see the attached team photo and help us to attach it to our team USSSA website and/or use it for the Lenz Field Champions photo group.  We are The Voodoo Ride and we are made up of kids who just simply love playing baseball.  No all stars, no premiere players, just a bunch of friends who got together to have fun.

Thanks and be good.

Wayne E. Hibler

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“We had an excellent time this past weekend.  Your organization puts on a very well-run tournament.  Every time I called since February, you [Tom], JD, Colby or Tyson, were very accessible, responsive, informative and friendly. The fields are beautiful.  The park is fantastic.  The city is nice and clean, and the people in Jacksonville and Springfield are very nice.”

“Your umpires were excellent […]”

“We couldn’t have had a more perfect championship game in this 8U World Series — 5-4!  Both teams played some excellent baseball.  So did the other teams in the tournament.  Great competition all weekend.  I was so happy to see the boys on our teams meet each other for some excellent competition, and play as well as they did in THE game that our team has been preparing for all year.”

“[…] We had a great time and look very forward to more tournaments together.”

– Coach Rich Klein, St. Louis Red Sox 7/20/10

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“I would like to take time to thank you for the FANTASTIC tournament you had allowed my team to participate in. The 11U state championship was a high point in all my players lives thus far!!! When I first started this team, I went in with the intention of having every kid on the team finding a moment somewhere in the season that they could take and put in a special place in their heart, and remember for the rest of their lives.  I know this is one of those moments for me! Thanks for sticking out the 6 hour rain delay […] I see your love for the game and more importantly the love for the children! Heaven hold spots for people like you! God bless you, your family, your fantastic field, and all that have the opportunity to participate in your events!”

“Thanks for the memories”

– Coach Randy Nosalik, 11U McHenry County Outlaws 6/30/10

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“Nice job with the tournament this weekend. Great weather, great organization, great time.
This is my second year coming with the Naperville White Sox and I brought down my younger sons team, the Lisle Wolves 11U. You guys run a top notch tournament and I will continue bringing teams and recommending to others.”

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“My son’s 12U team had the pleasure of “playing the turf” last weekend at Lenz Field and they had a great time. This is the third year that we have played at your fields and the first time we have played on the High School size field. Needless to say, what a great facility for everyone to enjoy and what a great experience. Congratulations on putting together a great facility.”

– Greg

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“We had a great time and the the kids loved playing on the fields. The facilities and atmosphere was top notch. Thanks again.”

– Kurt, Chillicothe Crush

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“I don’t know exactly what your motivation was to build these fields, but bottom line is, that it is a great thing for Jacksonville. Not just for the sports, but for the economy with all of the teams coming in, spending money at hotels and restaurants.”

“Anyway, great job! And thanks.”

– Dean

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“Bernard Gizzi and I coach the Naperville White Sox together and competed in this past weekend’s tournament. Thought the complex, the competition and especially your fields were great. The boys had a fantastic time and we’ll be back.”

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“Good morning! I’m the parent of a S. Il Diamondback player. We had a really good time this weekend playing at your fields for the first time. Though we wished we had played a little better, it was a great experience and the first time many of our boys traveled overnight for a tournament.”

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“As someone who has played baseball and softball for the past 30 years all over the United States and Canada, this is one of the most unique venues I have ever seen. The fields were unbelievable. It was a major league experience.”

– Father of a Champaign Tribe 13u player

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“Great facility! I have a son on a U13 team from Highland that played this weekend and really enjoyed your facility. With the storms from Friday, I was shocked that the facility was so ready for the event (JD did a great job).”

– Jim Minton

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“JD, It was great to meet you and talk baseball. Thanks for having us this past weekend, we really enjoyed ourselves. You guys run a great tourny. Hope to see you again.”

– Rich Ruffolo, The Future 12u Travel baseball Club Elite

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“Thanks for a great weekend. Our teams enjoyed our experience at Lenz Field and look forward to returning. Our younger teams enjoyed Lenz Field last year and our program now has even a greater appreciation for the turf after being able to play on Saturday when most teams in central Illinois were washed out.”

“Thanks again for putting on a great tournament.”

– Jeff

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“We’ve played in tournaments at Lenz Field every year and obviously the facilities are second to none, but as important, the staff and umpires are also first class.”

– Mike Healey, Springfield Cyclones

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