U.S. Baseball to add $1.5M training center

SBJ file photo

U.S. Baseball operates at the former Price Cutter Park in Ozark.

U.S. Baseball League LLC is making a $1.5 million expansion in Ozark.

The league is adding a 23,000-square-foot indoor training facility that General Manager Mark Stratton said would be located beyond the left-field corner of the 4400 N. 19th St. baseball park, facing north. General contractor Rich Kramer Construction Inc. began work April 17 on the center slated for completion in early July, he said.

Dubbed the U.S. Baseball Indoor Training Facility, the center will house a full-size high school infield for teams to practice year-round; 14 retractable batting cages with portable mounds; analytics technology, such as trajectory and velocity management systems Rapsodo and HitTrax; a weight room and fitness area; and a retail area for baseball products and apparel manufacturer Marucci Sports, according to a news release.

Additionally, athletic trainers, athletes and representatives from area colleges will be on-site weekly to provide training and resources, according to the release.

The planned opening of the training center comes ahead of U.S. Baseball’s five-year deal to host the Missouri State High School Activities Association State Baseball Championships, starting in 2021.

U.S. Baseball has hosted the Major League Baseball Pitch Hit & Run Competition, Drury University Panthers home games and tournaments by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Premier Baseball and others, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

U.S. Baseball renovated the long-vacant Price Cutter Park baseball stadium to launch in mid-2016. Last year, the park exceeded attendance of 100,000 people, with projections to hit up to 115,000 this year, Stratton has said.