Springfield Metro Baseball and Little Guys Baseball club invite you to attend the Opening Day Ceremonies for the Springfield Metro Baseball League! This event will be held Saturday, May 20^th at the Barnhouse Field where we will be celebrating the annual opening ceremonies of the Bill Virdon Sports Complex.  Gates will open around 11 AM and Ceremonies are set to begin around noon.  Along with Mr. Virdon, former MLB stars Diego Segui and Jim Gosger will be on hand.  Segui pitched fifteen years in the Majors including a stint with the Cardinals and Gosger played for thirteen years as an outfielder and first baseman with the Kansas City Athletics among other teams.  There will be other special surprises and tributes to Mr. Virdon as the Springfield Metro league opens it’s season with games starting at 1 PM.  Join us for all the fun.  Gate admission is $5 for adults and all kids 10 & under are FREE.

In addition, we are using this event as an opportunity to remind those of the ongoing needs of the Bill Virdon Sports Complex.  Keep in mind that the non-profit project is supporting local youth baseball. While we still hold out hope for the eventual donations that will lead to the construction of a second park on the property, there are ongoing needs to maintain the existing park and grounds:

• Each year the park requires the repair of lighting on the 65 ft poles that illuminate the field.  Due to the limited sources that can do the repair work, this is an expensive process and annually takes around $2000 – $2500 worth to repair.  Help with funding this recurring need would be greatly appreciated.
• The existing sound system at the park is in disrepair and the wiring and replacement speaker costs have been estimated at around $2000.  Help in upgrading the failing system would come as very welcome.
• Finally, the property which consists of more than 20 acres requires a great deal of maintenance that is very hard on the lawn equipment.  The facility desperately needs a new high quality lawn mower and the proper type of mower is estimated to cost around $10,000 to $12,000.  Any help with funds in the effort to purchase a new mower would go a long way in keeping the Bill Virdon Sports Complex safe and tidy for the users and spectators we see all year long.

Thank you for your continued support and plan to join us for baseball fun on May 20th!