The IHSBCA supports the use of summer baseball as a way to further the growth of our student-athletes and our baseball programs. Head coaches can customize the structure of their summer baseball season to meet the needs of their program. The scheduling of individual games, tournaments, camps, etc. is determined by each head coach. See the guidelines below.

Summer Tourney Baseball starting date for 2024 – first Summer Contact Day June 4th. Players still participating in the IHSA Playoffs are not eligible until their team is eliminated.

Graduated seniors are not eligible.

Transfer students are eligible to play with their new high school.

Phil Lawler Summer Tournament Information

Since 1976 the IHSBCA has provided all high school programs the opportunity to participate in a summer state tournament. In 2010 the IHSBCA Board of Directors agreed that the summer state tournament would be called the Phil Lawler Summer Classic.

2024 Phil Lawler Summer Classic

REGIONALS - Week of June 17, 2024 STATE - Will be June 25th and 26th.

48-team tournament. Teams can register and pay at the link above.

Teams will be assigned to one of eight regionals by the IHSBCA based on geography. Must register and pay by March 1st. The first 48 are in. The tourney is capped at 64 teams for 2024.

Regional round robin(3 games): Each team will provide two baseballs and be billed for one umpire for each game.

A coach must be a high school-certified coach.

Suspended games will be picked up at the point of interruption unless the game is official (4 ½ innings).

No protest allowed.

Regional winners are determined by: overall record, head-to-head, runs allowed, and the last tiebreaker is run differential with a max of 10 per game.

IHSBCA will provide balls, umpires, trainers, and fields for the Final Eight.

Final Eight format: Single elimination. All games will be played at North Central College in Naperville.

Tuesday, June 25th: 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm

Wednesday, June 26th: Semifinals at 1 pm and 4 pm and Championship at 7 pm.

Any questions please contact Dan Colucci–Lake Park High School dcolucci@lphs.org