Inaugural GEICO Baseball City Series To Take Place in Chicago July 8-11; Finals Televised on ESPNU

In its continued commitment to high school sports, ESPN will now be the home of the GEICO Baseball City Series. This inaugural event features four All-Star teams comprised of high school players from Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City representing their cities and the sport of high school baseball on a national stage.

The team rosters are selected by the high school governing body from each city; Chicago Public Schools Athletics (CPS), California Interscholastic Federation-Los Angeles City Section (CIF-LACS), Greater Miami Athletic Conference for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (GMAC) and the New York City Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL).

The four participating teams will play eight total games over four days; six pool play round robin games, with the third place and championship games taking place on Thursday, July 11, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU.  The event will be held at Les Miller Field at Curtis Granderson Stadium, University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC).

GEICO Baseball City Series Game Schedule:

(All times listed are Eastern Standard Time)

• Monday, July 8
• Pool play Game 1 – New York vs. Chicago at 2 p.m.
• Pool play Game 2 – Miami vs. Los Angeles at 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 9
• Pool play Game 3 – Chicago vs. Miami at 2 p.m.
• Pool play Game 4 – Los Angeles vs New York at 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 10
• Pool play Game 5 –Miami vs. New York at 2 p.m.
• Pool play Game 6 – Los Angeles vs Chicago at 5 p.m.
• Thursday, July 11
• Third-place game at 3 p.m. on ESPNU
• Championship game at 6 p.m.  on ESPNU

“Adding the GEICO Baseball City Series is a natural extension in our efforts to showcase the top high school athletes in the country,” said Dan Margulis, senior director of programming and acquisitions. “This inaugural event will add to our existing baseball portfolio, which includes more than 800 regular season college baseball games and an extensive rights agreement with MLB.”

“We are excited to collaborate with ESPN to bring high school baseball to the national stage and to host this unique event in the great baseball city of Chicago“, said Rashid Ghazi, partner at Paragon Marketing Group, which owns and operates the GEICO Baseball City Series. “This is a special opportunity for these student-athletes to showcase their talent on a national stage, proudly represent their hometowns and receive an enriching experience while competing in the sport they love.”

The GEICO Baseball City Series will be hosted at Curtis Granderson Stadium – a state-of-the-art sports complex developed in part by MLB All-Star outfielder and 2016 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award, Curtis Granderson. Granderson personally donated $5 million dollars to help fund the baseball stadium at UIC, the largest one-time gift to an alma mater by a professional athlete in history. Debuting in 2014, Curtis Granderson Stadium is now the home of the Chicago Baseball Educational Academy, hosting over 10,000 Chicago area youth annually at the indoor and outdoor facility.

For further event information, visit geicocityseries.com

Who’s Next:

For in-depth coverage of the GEICO Baseball City Series, including highlights and exclusive behind the scenes content, follow @whosnexths on Twitter and Instagram.

About GEICO

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 28 million vehicles.  To make changes, report claims, print insurance cards and purchase additional products, policyholders can access their insurance policy here, connect via GEICO Mobile, phone or by visiting a GEICO local agent.  Homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft and term life coverages are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc.  Commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available. Visit www.geico.com for a quote or to learn more.

About Paragon Marketing Group

Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon owns and operates the GEICO Baseball City Series and has collaborated with ESPN over the past 16 years to deliver over 600 live high school football, basketball, and lacrosse telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation. Paragon collaborates with ESPN on the following live properties:

GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff & Showcase

GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase

GEICO State Champions Bowl Series

GEICO High School Basketball Nationals

GEICO High School Lacrosse Showcase

GEICO High School Lacrosse Nationals

GEICO Baseball City Series

For further information on the GEICO Baseball City Series and for media credential requests please contact: rkelner@paragonmarketing.biz

ESPN media contact:

Kimberly Elchlepp at kimberly.m.elchlepp@espn.com  or 860-424-2923; @kimelchlepp.