KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Heart of America Athletic Conference has announced a partnership with U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, Mo., to host the 2017 and 2018 Baseball Championships, announced by Commissioner Lori Thomas on Thursday afternoon.
The 4,000-seat stadium in Ozark was built in 1999 and earlier this year underwent more than $2 million in renovations that included the installation of a complete artificial turf playing surface, the highest grade available, and the addition of a $500,000, state-of-the-art LED video board measuring 37' x 48' behind the right field wall. The stadium re-opened last Spring and hosted the first season of the Show-Me Collegiate Summer League, as well as local high school and college events.
"U.S. Baseball Park is going to be a fantastic venue to host the next two Heart of America Athletic Conference Baseball Championships," said Thomas. "The commitment by the USBP staff and Evangel University to assisting us in operating a first-class event made selecting this venue an exciting prospect."
The 2017 Heart Baseball Championship is scheduled to take place May 4-9. Eight teams will compete in a double-elimination tournament, with the two finalists receiving the league's automatic berths into the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round. The playing field measures 330' down each line, 375' in the alleys and 400' to center field.
"We think U.S. Baseball Park will be an outstanding venue for the Heart Baseball Championship," said Pat Atwell, Director of Athletics at Culver-Stockton. "We look forward to bringing our championship to the Springfield-Ozark area and hope it is the beginning of a long partnership."
Founded in 1971, the Heart of America Athletic Conference expanded to 14 member schools from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska for the start of the 2016-17 academic year. The conference manages 20 intercollegiate varsity sports programs and all 14 schools are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
