OZARK, Mo. — May 1998…The Ozark Mountain Ducks professional baseball team was born.
June 1999…With ducks calls in full force..4,700 fans turn out at the new Price Cutter Park in Ozark to watch the Mtn. Ducks first game.
But by 2004, with the arrival of the Springfield Cardinals looming,
the Ducks had flown the coup. And the ballpark became a ghost-town with only occasional games and events.
"In your heart you're always hoping that something would get in there," remembers Mark Stratton. "It was a shame for that to go to waste. Now as we're out here today, I knew we were heading in the right direction."
Former Glendale and Drury head baseball coach Mark Stratton is the marketing vice-president for US Baseball, a group headed by Oklahoma businessman Jeff Williams, on the right, who bought the park and are investing over two-million dollars for improvements….From new artificial turf and an LED scoreboard to revamped press box and concession areas. They plan on the facility hosting everything from concerts to community activities and all kinds of college, high school, and youth baseball and softball events. Today the nationally-ranked Missouri St. Bears are practicing here and could have used a facility like this last year when a conflict with the Springfield Cardinals kept them from hosting the NCAA Super-Regional.
"If it's a viable option it's always a good situation," explained Bears head coach Keith Guttin when asked if the ballpark in Ozark might be a future NCAA tournament site. "It's too good a property to just let sit vacant and I think we've got the right people to see this thing be a success."
One permanant tennant is the new Show-Me Collegiate League, a summer circuit of 4 teams with 30 players-each with all games played in Ozark featuring college players hoping to get the attention of pro scouts.
"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."
"It helps us to play some of our players," adds Guttin. "And it will help us evaluate a lot of junior college players as they participate in the league."
But most importantly is the fact that Ozark has its ballpark back, thrilling longtime fans like Don Ervin.
"People who come in here are really gonna be amazed at what's happening here," he said with a smile.
"They're gonna come in here, have a wonderful night, head back home and say 'that was fun'. I mean I don't know if you can get any better a compliment than that."
Just like the good 'ol days.
