Softball City has new owner, getting ready for a big 31st year for the family-friendly complex

By Nick Gonnella
Special to NKyTribune

In less than one month, Softball City Sports Complex will be abuzz with activity, aiming to offer tradition and community-oriented fun for its 31st year.

“We’re still around. We’re relevant,” said new owner Shawn Haley. “Over the years, the business model has stayed the same.”

In other words, Haley is striving to make the complex easily accessible, family friendly and customer-focused. As the complex’s newest owner who is in the process of hiring staff, Haley describes himself as ambitious and very organized. He graduated from Holmes High School in 1985 and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Science at Western Kentucky University, specializing in web design and information technology. He has taken over the Softball City from long-time owners Gerald Dixon and his sons, Gerald and Greg, who still own the land.

The three-diamond complex, which is located on Mason Road in Taylor Mill just off Interstate 275, featured slow-pitch softball for years. Fast-pitch softball followed, and most recently, baseball.

“All of those people who played (softball) are now having kids,” noted Haley, the father of two daughters. “Now they’re handing it over to the kids. It’s been a slow progression to baseball.”

The complex enjoyed its peak of popularity between 1985 and 2000, but the increasing popularity of baseball has attracted more patrons from different generations. The complex now hosts leagues for 70 percent baseball and 30 percent softball.

“It’s not the same as it used to be,” said Haley. “If parents are there to watch baseball, they’re bringing their kids with them.”
Haley expects to plan eight baseball tournaments this year.

“It should be a pretty successful year,” he said. “We’re still taking teams to where I’ll be having games at other parks. We try to keep teams together from a young age, all the way through high school.”

Rather than using city fields and county parks for tournaments, according to Haley, people are turning to private parks to play baseball.

Once the leagues are reserved and the parking spaces are filled, the fields will come to life just as they did the previous 30 years.

“The park has a lot of tradition that we like to preserve,” said Haley. “She’s an old lady. She’s still kicking.”

Perhaps the highlight of each season is the Hall of Fame Induction, which takes place at the end of the year.

“At the end of the season, we’ll enshrine people into the Hall of Fame,” said Haley. “It’s a time for people to come back and reminisce about moments that happened. That’s what the park tries to project, being a community partner, and it’s a good time. Each park has its own highlights. If you help make the park what it is, you’ll be in our Hall of Fame. You’re never forgotten.”

The Hall consists of umpires, players, coaches and longtime fans, among other community staples that have stood out over the years. Most first-year inductees were umpires and players, or both. Herbert Blick, a 2010 inductee, served as an umpire for the first 15 years of the complex.

“He was a good man,” said Haley of the late Blick.

The complex offers free services, such as social media sites and practice time on the fields.

“It’s just one of the benefits of playing their home games at their own park,” said Haley of the practice time. “With a short time period of operation (March through October), we mix in things to maintain interest.”

Established indoor amenities are two concession stands, ample seating and satellite television, along with wall-to-wall tributes and photo collages illustrating the history.

Guests will have more to look forward to this year. In addition to hoagies that Haley plans to add to the menu, he noted that flag football and MMA also are being considered for the following year.

“The possibilities are endless,” he said. “If it’s feasible for the business, I’ll try to bring it in. We represent a broad range of items that we try to appeal to a majority of people.”

While some aspects of the complex have changed over the years, the theme of Softball City remains the same.

“People work hard for their money, and choose to come to the ballpark to spend it,” said Haley. “If something is not right, I want them to come tell me about it, so we can try to fix it. I try to keep customers happy. We’re not about the dollar. I would rather see people happy and have a positive experience.”

More information, including league registration, upcoming events and tournament schedules, is available at www.softballcitysite.com, on the Softball City Facebook Page and on Twitter.

Nick Gonnella, a resident of Delhi Township on the west side of Cincinnati, has written for various publications in the Tri State area and beyond. Most recently, he covered sports for the Greensburg Daily News in Decatur County, Indiana for five years. Nick is a graduate of University of Cincinnati, with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and a journalism writing certificate. He graduated from Elder High School in 1999.