Phase 1 of new Jackson ball field almost done

As he watched baseball players and coaches lay sod Saturday morning on the future Whitey Herzog Stadium, Jack Litzelfelner Jr. couldn't help but smile.

"When I look across this field and see all of the volunteers from different demographics come together, it's exciting," he said. "That exemplifies a community spirit that is hard to put into words."

Two years ago, the idea to build a state-of-the-art baseball field in Jackson's Nine Oaks subdivision was just a dream. But it became reality as land was acquired and donations poured in from Herzog, a former St. Louis Cardinal manager, and the Jackson Optimist Clubs.

Those donations, totaling $100,000, funded phase one of the project — a red brick backstop that resembles that of Busch Stadium in St. Louis, an irrigation system and retaining wall — was mostly completed Saturday night. Phase one is expected to be finished Monday, Litzelfelner said.

The second phase — grandstand seating to accommodate 300 fans, restrooms, a press box, concession stand and an outfield fence — should be completed by spring. Sponsorship signs from area businesses placed alongside the outfield fence will provide $150,000 in funding for the phase.

Litzelfelner hopes the third phase — lighting, parking and a scoreboard — will be complete by summer 2010. Donations from individuals and organizations, receipts from tournaments at the field in 2009 and sponsorship signs on the scoreboard will provide $100,000 to fund the final phase.

The groundwork for the project was laid more than 50 years ago when Herzog and Litzelfelner's father, Jack Litzelfelner Sr., formed a friendship in the early 1950s as teammates in the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league organization. In 2006, the lifelong friends discussed building the baseball field in Jackson.

"The other baseball field we have in Jackson that the school and other teams use is more than 80 years old, so we're in need of a new field," Litzelfelner Jr. said. "My dad and Whitey Herzog realized the need for a new field that could be put to good use by our young people for years to come."

Primary users of the field include Jackson and other area high schools, American Legion squads and teams from the Babe Ruth League. The distance from home plate to the outfield fence will be 325 feet in left field and right field and 400 feet in center field.

"We're trying to make this similar to a major-league field," Litzelfelner Jr. said. "Whitey Herzog has said that he wants this to be a first-class facility. I think folks in our community will be impressed with the end result."

American Legion head baseball coach Mark Lewis has been amazed at the effort from individuals and organizations throughout the community.

"It's been amazing seeing the field develop from dirt to what it is today," Lewis said. "Having people devoted to a cause like this that will do so much good for the community is incredible."

Jackson High School head baseball coach Rob French echoed Lewis' thought.

"Seeing the physical development of ideas and the field itself and then seeing them come together has been simply amazing," French said. "I'm excited about what the future holds, not just for my team but for the groups that will use this field for many more years."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

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