The cheapest/most expensive seats in the Frontier League

Gateway's GCS Ballpark

One of the popular topics of conversation on this blog -- at least by the readers -- has been the price of attending a Frontier League game, especially game tickets.

With that in mind, I've spent some time on the Internet researching the cost of tickets throughout the league. What I wanted to know was three things:

1. Which team has the highest ticket prices? I'm not talking about renting a suite or a party deck or a seat in the hot tub area. I wanted to know the cost of a box seat. If somebody attended a game in every ballpark in the league, and purchased a ticket in the section directly behind the first-base bag in each ballpark, where would it cost the most money?

2. What is the most expensive seat in the Frontier League? Again, we're not talking suites or party decks or tables.

3. Where are the cheapest tickets?

We'll go out of order and start with subject No. 2. The most expensive seats in the Frontier League are found in Normal, Ill., but they're not your normal (no pun intended) seats. You can purchase a "Big League Scout Seat" for $50 per seat.

These are extra wide, padded seats located in the first two rows of section 108 and 109 (directly behind home plate) at The Corn Crib. The seats come with an all-you-can-eat/drink menu with waiter/waitress service.

The most expensive seats at the other 11 ballparks generally run about $13. Washington and Florence have the most expensive tickets in the league at $15 every night. Lake Erie and Gateway have $15 tickets, but those same seats are $13 in Lake Erie and $12 in Gateway if purchased in advance.

If you're looking to buy a seat directly behind first base in each ballpark in the league and get conked in the head with an overthrow, then your best buy is at Southern Illinois. The Miners have $8 tickets in this section. The only other places where you can buy those same tickets for less than $10 are at Lake Erie and Windy City. It will cost you $9 for those seats, but only if you purchase them before gameday, otherwise they're $11. The most expensive first-base box seat is found in Washington, which charges $15. That's at least $2 more than any other place in the league.

The cheapest seat in the league -- and we're talking seat, so grass berms -- are found in Evansville at Bosse Field. You can buy $6 general admission seats that are covered by the pavilion roof. Many of those seats are between first and third base, so they're easily the best buy in the league.

Washington used to offer general admission tickets in the upper bowl. At one time, this included three sections and the cost was only $4 per ticket. Then it was reduced to only one section on the third-base side for $5. This year, those seats that cost $5 last season now cost $12. That's quite an increase in one year, especially when you're coming off a 42-54 season.

Most ballparks offer lawn seating. which runs from $4 in Southern Illinois to $8 in Schaumburg and River City. Washington's website offers lawn seating for $5 but only on Wednesday and Sunday.