Softball, like most team sports, has been on the rise the last few years, with nearly nine million Americans playing the sport, based on the most recent research by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Based on year-end 2023 SFIA data, slow pitch participation rose 5.3 percent from the year before, up to 6.4 million players, still below its high of 7.1 million in 2019, but continuing its climb back from the pandemic slump. From 2022 to 2023, fast pitch participation was up 8.2 percent to 2.3 million players, surpassing 2019 levels by 100,000 players.
Importantly, total play occasions for both versions also increased in 2023: up 11.1 percent for fast pitch and up 5.3 percent for slow pitch. All this is good news for locations such as these, offering key facilities for softball tournaments and events.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
With its Southern charm and unique culture, Baton Rouge beckons visitors, sports fans and athletes. For softball tournaments, the area boasts a number of top facilities, including the Hartley/Vey Sports Park at Oak Villa, with eight diamonds, which has played host to some of the largest softball tournaments in Louisiana. The complex offers turf infields, covered dugouts, concessions, restrooms and more.
Central Sports Park is a first-class facility with seven all-turf softball/baseball fields with lights, concessions and restrooms. The Traction Sportsplex has 11 lighted fields, offering different sizes, and 10 with turf infields, along with concessions, restrooms and batting cages. Baton Rouge also has LSU Tiger Park, one of the crown jewels of collegiate softball, with a seating capacity of more than 2,670.
USSSA Softball brings about 15 tournaments a year to Baton Rouge, often with up to 50 teams per event. The city also holds a Division Softball College Showcase that attracts about 1,000 players. For qualifying events, Visit Baton Rouge can help with financial assistance or tailored incentives.
“Baton Rouge is a sports town,” says Jason Suitt, director of sports development for Visit Baton Rouge. “With the success of LSU softball, this community has rallied behind women’s sports and welcomes athletes and their families to take in our authentic Louisiana experience.”
Columbus, Georgia
The recently renovated South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Georgia, built for the 1996 Olympic Women’s Softball competition, has eight diamonds (arranged as a five-field hub with a roundhouse and a three-field fan), including a 2,500-seat stadium, concession areas, shade structures and permanent restrooms. All fields have video streaming capabilities and LED scoreboards, there are also umpire changing rooms, hospitality suites, an indoor batting cage facility and plenty of parking. Plus, the facility is less than a mile from the Uptown district of Columbus.
The South Commons complex has played host to massive softball events, including tournaments with more than 8,200 participants and 21,000 spectators. Among tournaments that came to Columbus are the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Softball World Series, the Georgia High School Association State Championship, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic, the National Club Softball Association World Series, the USSSA Black American World Tournament and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championships.
“T.E.A.M. Columbus is a unique partnership of Visit Columbus, Columbus Parks and Recreation, Columbus Civic Center and the Columbus Sports Council,” says Merri Sherman of the Sports Council. “This cooperation brings together all of the aspects needed for a truly one-stop shop approach. T.E.A.M. Columbus will assure you a top-notch experience here in the heart of the Deep South.”
Ogden, Utah
“Ogden is a community that rallies to make things happen,” says Millie Osguthorpe of Visit Ogden. “Our partnership with recreation managers, hotels and businesses really allows us to create meaningful experiences for athletes and spectators. We’re committed to turning events into lasting memories for those who participate.”
For softball tournament owners, managers and athletes, that means having multiple fields and complexes available to accommodate all types of events, for all ages, all with incredible mountain backdrops. Many of the facilities have turf fields, there are numerous diamonds at high schools in Ogden and there’s a championship field available at Weber State University. For the past three years, the city has hosted the Triple Crown (TCS) Fastpitch World Series, which has grown year after year. Among upcoming events are more tournaments with TCS, DI Prospects and USSSA.
Visit Ogden works with event owners by being their “personal destination ambassador,” helping to secure facilities, lodging and other needs, including creating unique experiences, such as hosting a player party at the Ogden Amphitheatre, or holding parades and opening ceremonies at Lindquist Field, home of the Ogden Raptors Pioneer League baseball team. Off the field, the area is an outdoor recreation paradise for families and players, with stunning mountains, rivers and lakes, and plenty of other local attractions.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Some may say Oklahoma City has an unfair advantage when it comes to softball, since it is the home of USA Softball, the National Governing Body of the sport. But that’s precisely what makes the area such a powerhouse.
The primary facility is Devon Park, home base for USA Softball’s national headquarters. The park is the largest in the world, with permanent seating for about 9,000 fans and overall capacity of about 13,000 with added temporary seating; an example is NCAA Women’s College World Series, which OKC has hosted for over 40 years. The event draws more than 110,000 spectators over the course of the tournament.
Outside of WCWS, USA Softball hosts a number of events ranging from youth through adult groups. The OKC Parks & Recreation Department also has other fields that host youth tournaments with national groups such as Triple Crown, USSSA and Perfect Game.
Notably, the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles plans to use the Devon Park/USA Softball complex when the sport returns to the Olympics in four years. “We will host six international teams vying for the gold medal, and it will be the largest softball event in the world, both from an attendance and viewership perspective,” says Adam Wisniewski, vice president of sports development for OKC Sports.
“Oklahoma City is very proud to be the ‘Softball Capital of the World,’ and has spent decades investing in the growth of the sport,” he adds.
Sarpy County, Nebraska
“Softball continues to be a strong market here, as area sports clubs continue to grow and host some of the largest tournaments in the Omaha metro area,” says Fred Uhe, the tourism director for Sarpy County. “Teams [playing here] have premier venues for competition and training.”
The 157-acre Gretna Crossing Park was completed a year ago and offers four natural grass softball fields, batting cages and a large warm-up area. There is permanent bleacher seating and a concession building with restrooms.
The Papillion Landing Sports Complex, opened in 2021, has already gained a reputation as one of the best softball venues in the Omaha metro area. It includes six natural-grass championship-caliber fields capable of hosting state, regional and national tournaments, each with its own electronic scoreboards, adjustable base paths and covered tier seating platforms. There are three turf batting cages, a climate-controlled concession area with restrooms and an umpires’ room.
La Vista City Park, with four lighted fields of varying dimensions (three natural grass, one synthetic turf), is a primary facility for the national Slumpbuster tourney during the College World Series each summer. It also has indoor concessions with restrooms. Just minutes away is the La Vista Sports Complex, with four grass fields, concession area with indoor seating,
restrooms and permanent bleachers. Also available is the Premier Sports Village in Bellevue, with six lighted grass fields that can be configured for various sizes.
Starkville, Mississippi
The new, 124-acre Cornerstone Sports Complex in Starkville, Mississippi offers 12 diamonds, for play for all ages, and hosts a variety of regional tournaments, attracting athletes from around the country. The complex, fully lighted with LED fixtures, also has batting cages and warm-up areas, along with concessions. There is also a playground, walking trails, tables and seating areas, and a pavilion. The Starkville Sportsplex has four diamonds available, with concessions, meeting rooms, picnic areas, playground and a pavilion, among other amenities.
Every summer, Starkville plays host to college softball showcases, including the recent USSSA Fast Pitch Southern Elite Showcase event at Cornerstone Sports Complex. The complex also recently hosted the U.S. Fastpitch Association’s state championships for Northern Mississippi.
“Starkville’s brand-new Cornerstone Sports Complex offers players and spectators a top-notch experience,” says Paige Hunt, director of tourism at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. “We work directly with our Parks & Rec team to determine each tournament’s specific needs. We like to take each tournament on a case-by-case basis so we can provide whatever is needed to make their time in Starkville the best it can be.”
Tucson, Arizona
“Softball has a strong, loyal, local following here in Tucson, due to the strength of the University of Arizona softball program,” says Nick Pazzi, director of Tucson Sports. “Coach Mike Candrea came to Tucson in 1986 and turned the school softball program into an NCAA top 20 program, with eight Women’s College World Series championships and 11 PAC-12 regular season championships.”
The Arizona Wildcats play at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium, which underwent an $8 million renovation a few years ago that includes new bleachers, covered shade structure, two-level enclosed press box, locker rooms, team room and more.
Tucson also offers many multi-field facilities, including Lincoln Regional Park with eight diamonds (in two quads), seating for more than 100 spectators at each field, restrooms, concessions and more. The Todd M. Harris Sports Complex has a four-field quad with seating at each field and restrooms. And Sports Park Tucson has six fields with two concession stands.
The annual Tucson Invitational Games, held in March, brings up to 28 teams to the city’s fields. The area also hosted the PAC-12 Softball Championship in 2023, with 10 teams and an average daily attendance of more than 2,200. In November, Tucson will host the USA Softball Fall Showcase.
Virginia
“Throughout Virginia, we have many excellent facilities for softball tournaments and events,” says Danish Saadat, national sales and marketing manager for Sports Virginia/Virginia Tourism Corp.
There are many excellent venues, including Patriot Park North in Fairfax County, with six synthetic turf fields, which opened in 2023. The state-of-the-art complex attracts teams from across the country; in its first year, it hosted more than 20 tournaments and attracted nearly a quarter of a million visitors. Patriot Park also has portable pitching mounds, bullpens, batting cages, concessions, restrooms, press box and more.
In Chesterfield County, the 367-acre Harry G. Daniel Park at Ironbridge offers 14 diamonds of various sizes, with lights on all fields and upgraded amenities, including concessions and restrooms.
The Princess Anne Athletic Complex in Virginia Beach includes eight lighted, tournament-quality softball fields (in two quads), two full-service concession stands, restrooms and more. In Henrico County, RF&P Park offers three youth softball fields and the Glen Allen Stadium, which seats more than 600 fans and has hosted a number of national tournaments.
Additionally, the award-winning James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem recently reopened after a major renovation. The facility has four lighted softball fields and is home to the Roanoke College softball team. It also offers dugouts with their own restrooms, a camera system for live streaming of games, bullpens, batting cages, concessions and more.
“By renovating, the Moyer will continue to shine as it serves everyone in this part of the country for years to come,” says Salem Mayor Renee Turk. SDM
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