With over $2 million in upgrades taking place, Ozark’s Price Cutter Park will receive a new life as the home of the Show Me Collegiate Summer Baseball League.
Opening back in 1999 for the Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks (independent; Texas-Louisiana League), Price Cutter Park was the result of an effort to bring professional baseball to the Springfield, Mo area. The ballpark hosted the Mountain Ducks through 2004, when the team played its last season in the Frontier League before folding upon the arrival of the Springfield Cardinals (Class AA; Texas League).
In the time since, Price Cutter Park has been utilized by a variety of leagues, but the latest development is the most significant in years. U.S. Baseball—a group that includes former college baseball coach Mark Stratton and Oklahoma businessman Jeff Williams—is now the owner and operator of the ballpark. As part of its investment, U.S. Baseball has undertaken over $2 million in renovations, focusing on a new turf field, LED scoreboard, overhauled concessions, and a renovated press box.
One of the main purposes for Price Cutter Park will be to host the upstart Show Me League. Set to launch in June, the Show Me League will be a four-team, collegiate wood bat circuit that plays exclusively out of Price Cutter Park. More from OzarksSportsZone.com:
“The league is modeled after the Cape Cod League,” Stratton said. “Mostly stateside guys but we’ve got a few international players. The guys are here to obviously improve their game and that could maybe put them in a position to get drafted.”
Another component to the plan for Price Cutter Park is to open the ballpark to local colleges, host baseball and softball tournaments, concerts, and other community events. In fact, the Missouri State Bears utilized the ballpark for a practice earlier this week, and Drury University has also hosted a practice at the site.
Image courtesy of Show Me Collegiate Summer Baseball League.