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SPORTS
Mitch Stadium only gets better
Scott Hensley prepares the infield as renovations and improvements made to accommodate the crowds for this yearÕs 11-12 Little League Southeastern Regional Tournament at Mitch Stadium continue Sunday, July 26, 2009, in Ceredo.
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CEREDO -- With the 2009 Little League Southeast Regionals in softball and baseball being played at Ceredo's Mitch Stadium, many renovations were made to ensure that the players and families in attendance would have a unique experience.
Currently, director of stadium operations Paul Billups is feverishly putting the finishing touches on improving what was already a beautiful complex.
"This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a tournament of this magnitude down here, and by virtue of that fact, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to do renovations at the stadium that would not only host this tournament, but last for the next 20 or 30 years for the children of the area," Billups said.
Everyone attending the event will be impacted by the renovations, ranging from players to media personnel.
As with most baseball complexes, it starts with the quality of the field conditions, and Billups has made sure not to disappoint.
The infield and foul areas now consist of a Patriot Bermuda blend of grass, which is cultivated in Maryland. It is the same grass seen at the University of Virginia's baseball facility and the Cincinnati Bengals' practice field.
The Patriot Bermuda has impressed Billups, which isn't easy for a surface to do considering he is the only in-state distributor for Diamond Pro, a company that specializes in professional groundskeeping products.
"Of all the grasses that I've dealt with on baseball fields, I'm at this point most satisfied with this one because the color and density of the grass," Billups said. "I think the kids coming in here to play will be thrilled with it because it plays like carpet."
While the kids will be enjoying the plush grass on the field, the parents will be watching in the comfort of 1,250 chairback seats in the stands.
Chairback seats are special at any Little League facility, but there is an even greater phenomenon surrounding these particular chairs.
"These are the same chairbacks used at the Masters each year. Hence, the dark green color, which matches the baseball green of Mitch Stadium," Billups said with a smile. "We were lucky to get these chairback seats as opposed to bleachers because of a relationship with the company that rents these. We thought to have chairback seats in here for the guests would be something special and give it a real stadium look for the kids looking up at the chairs."
When the players look from the field toward home plate, they will see a beautiful backdrop. A net backstop that is virtually transparent has been installed to give the full effect of a major league stadium.
Gone are the days of the chainlink fence surrounding the field, fulfilling one of Billups' dreams instantly.
"In 2002, when Scott Hensley and I sat down and drafted our plans, one of the things we wanted and even laughed about was that we wanted a baseball field with no chainlink," Billups said. "This year, we finally accomplished that. There is no chainlink left at the Mitch."
The lack of chainlink and addition of the net allows players to see the beautiful chairback seats in the background and the newest addition to "the Mitch" -- a gorgeous wraparound press box for media.
The press box has all the necessities to be able to host future major tournaments while the simplicity to be maintained by the local Little League staff.
The press box features two broadcast booths and three print media stations aside from a scoreboard operators area. When Mitch Stadium isn't busy with national tournaments, the facility will also serve as a meeting place for the Little League board of directors.
Billups hopes that Mitch Stadium stays busy with national tournaments, though.
"We are ready to host any type of tournament, so should the opportunity arise in the future, Little League Baseball will look to Mitch Stadium as a potential site," Billups said. "This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a tournament of this magnitude down here, and by virtue of that fact, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to do renovations at the stadium that would not only host this tournament, but last for the next 20 or 30 years for the children of the area."
The best way to describe "the Mitch" is a dream quickly turning to reality.
Billups went to former Ceredo Mayor Mose Napier in 2002 with a plan for Mitch Stadium hoping to renovate "the Mitch" and make it the point of community identity.
He did so because his hometown was searching for itself after seeing its high school shut down several years prior by consolidation.
Through the work of the communities of Ceredo and Kenova, those renovations have transformed Mitch Stadium not only into a point of community identity, but a point of national identity for Little League baseball and softball.
"The communities have always supported youth baseball in this area, but this was a piece-by-piece plan," Billups said. "Mayor Napier agreed with the plan and the city of Ceredo has been a big supporter as the plan has moved forward the last seven years."
Amazingly, the 55-year history of Mitch Stadium has never included a single softball game. However, that will be changed on Thursday when the 11-12 year-old Little League Softball Southeastern Regional starts pool play.
Pool play will run through Saturday with the semifinals scheduled for Sunday and the championship slated for Monday. Monday's winner goes to the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Ore.
After that, Billups will have a week to reinstall a mound and prepare for the 11-12 year-old Little League Baseball Southeastern Regional, which starts Aug. 8 with pool play and ends with ESPN's national telecast of the championship game on Aug. 14. Air time is 8 p.m.
The winner of that game will go to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
