Ozark Mountain Sports Complex (formerly known as U.S. Baseball Park and Price Cutter Park ) is a baseball park in Christian County, Missouri . It is located off U.S. Route 65 in Ozark, Missouri , just south of Missouri's third-largest city, Springfield .
23-535: The facility was built in four months in early 1999 and was originally named after a local supermarket company. It opened on July 10, 1999, hosting a game of the Texas–Louisiana League , an independent baseball league . The playing surface was rededicated as John Pittman Field in 2009, named for a primary designer of the ballpark. In 2024 the stadium was renamed Ozark Mountain Sports Complex. The ballpark
46-735: The Carolina League and the Quebec -based Provincial League . The Carolina League, based in the North Carolina Piedmont region, gained a reputation as a notorious "outlaw league" during its existence from 1936 to 1938. The Provincial League fielded six teams across Quebec and was independent from 1948 to 1949. Similarly to early 20th-century independent leagues, it joined the National Association in 1950, playing for six more years. Independent leagues saw new growth after 1992, after
69-585: The Springfield Cardinals , playing their home games at Hammons Field in downtown Springfield. The Southwest Missouri State Bears baseball team played select games at the facility starting in April 2000. Ryan Howard was one of the Bears who played at the ballpark. In 2003, the Bears moved from Price Cutter Park to the new Hammons Field in downtown Springfield. In June 2006, organized baseball returned briefly to
92-533: The Texas–Louisiana League , was an independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises. In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron Pierce and U. S. Congressman John Bryant , became frustrated that the Texas League had no plans to expand into other Texas locations, and formed The Texas–Louisiana League. The league began play in 1994. After further expansion into Missouri and Mississippi ,
115-653: The United League , San Angelo . Edinburg also received a franchise in the United League , unrelated to the now-defunct Roadrunners of the Central League. The following teams were, at one time, either a member of the Central Baseball League or the Texas–Louisiana League. Independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in
138-537: The 2024 season, there are seven active leagues, with four of them acting as MLB Partner Leagues . Additionally, Major League Baseball co-operatively operates the MLB Draft League , which operates as an amateur collegiate summer baseball league in the first half of each season and a professional league outside of the structure of Minor League Baseball for the remainder. Independent baseball leagues and teams exist outside of North America, though rarer. In Japan,
161-590: The Commissioner of Baseball. Independent baseball existed in the early 20th century and has become prominent again since 1993. Leagues operated mostly autonomously before 1902, when the majority joined the NAPBL. From then until 1915, a total of eight new and existing leagues remained independent. Most joined the National Association after one season of independence. Notable exceptions were the California League , which
184-579: The Japan Independent Baseball League Organization, which consists of the Shikoku Island League Plus and Baseball Challenge League , operates independently from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Japan also has a variety of independent semi-professional leagues consisting of industrial teams , where the players are regular employees of the company that own the team and are additionally paid to play baseball for
207-470: The Texas–Louisiana League changed its name to the Central Baseball League. In 12 seasons, the league produced 10 different champions; Alexandria and Edinburg were the only teams to win a title twice. After the 2005 season, the eight-team Central Baseball League disbanded. Five teams joined the American Association : Pensacola , Shreveport , Fort Worth , Coastal Bend and El Paso ; and one joined
230-573: The United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball ). Independent leagues have flourished in northeastern states, where dense populations can often support multiple franchises . Because they are not subject to the territorial limitations imposed on affiliated minor-league teams, independent clubs can relocate as close to affiliated teams (and one another) as they choose to. For example,
253-654: The ballpark to host the Show Me League, a four-team collegiate wooden-bat summer league. The facility also hosts Missouri high school state tournaments, and is used by the Queen City Crush, a team in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes baseball league. As of 2022, the ballpark serves as the home field of the Drury Panthers baseball team. Texas%E2%80%93Louisiana League The Central Baseball League , formerly
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#1732870117847276-800: The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania , cannot have an affiliated team because of its proximity to the Harrisburg Senators and Reading Fightin Phils , leaving the Atlantic League to place a team—the Lancaster Barnstormers —to fill the void. Another example is the greater New York City metropolitan area, where there are many independent teams: the Long Island Ducks , Staten Island FerryHawks , New Jersey Jackals , New York Boulders , and Sussex County Miners . The Atlantic League considered as
299-717: The company on the side. South Korea also has series of small independent leagues. Additionally, as of 2024, two Japanese teams without affiliation to NPB teams play within NPB's minor leagues (the Eastern League and the Western League ). Similarly, within KBO Futures League , the minor league of Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), there is an unaffiliated team that consists only of South Korean military personnel . A select number of Japanese independent teams also participate in
322-625: The end of July. A fall league also operated on weekends in September and October. The league's annual ceremonies in May had been host to a number of former Major League Baseball (MLB) players including Jack Clark , Willie Wilson , and others. Every third year (2011, 2014) the league ran a unique "retro" season with all the teams outfitted as MLB teams of the past including teams like the St. Louis Browns , Kansas City Athletics , and Washington Senators . The 2014 season
345-433: The facility was purchased by U.S. Baseball, who became the owner and operator. They invested $ 2 million to renovate the ballpark, including a new artificial surface, a new scoreboard, and upgraded concessions and press box. Renamed as U.S. Baseball Park, the facility again began hosting some college baseball games, starting with a contest between Drury University and William Jewell College in April. U.S. Baseball also used
368-617: The fall and spring baseball seasons. The stadium is the host of the MSHSAA State Baseball tournament for the years 2020-2025. In 2009, the Springfield Metro Baseball League moved into the stadium and began play. The open registration league operated in the park with 19 & under, 15 & under, and 12 & under divisions through 2014. Players registered starting each January and new teams are drafted each year in April. The summer season ran from mid-May through
391-410: The league. The Atlantic League has had many notable managers and coaches, including Wally Backman , Frank Viola , Tommy John , Sparky Lyle , and Bud Harrelson . The Northern League alumni include Leon "Bull" Durham , J. D. Drew , and Darryl Strawberry . Independent leagues are those professional leagues in the United States and Canada not under the purview of organized Minor League Baseball and
414-568: The new Professional Baseball Agreement in organized baseball instituted more stringent revenue and stadium requirements on members. The Northern League and Frontier League both started play in 1993, and the Northern League's success paved the way for other independent leagues like the Texas-Louisiana League and Northeast League . Over the next eight years, at least 16 independent leagues formed, of which six existed in 2002. As of
437-750: The stadium with the Ozark Generals of the M.I.N.K. Collegiate Baseball League . For many years the Drury University Panthers Baseball Team used the stadium as their home field until 2024. Starting in 2022 the stadium became the home of the Mission University Patriots Baseball Team. In 2024 the stadium became the home of the Mission University Patriots Softball Team. The stadium hosts various high school baseball games throughout
460-577: The top level of competition among the independent leagues, and has had more marquee players than any other independent league, including Jose Canseco , Mat Latos , Steve Lombardozzi Jr. , Francisco Rodríguez , Chien-Ming Wang , Roger Clemens , Rich Hill , Scott Kazmir , Juan González , John Rocker , and Dontrelle Willis . Two former Atlantic League players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum , Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson . Gary Carter , another Hall of Famer, managed in
483-788: Was home to the Springfield/Ozark Mountain Ducks team that was part of several independent leagues (the Texas–Louisiana League, Central Baseball League , and in their final year, the Frontier League when they were known as the Springfield/Ozark Ducks). The Ducks discontinued playing in 2004 after the El Paso Diablos of the Double-A Texas League within Minor League Baseball relocated to become
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#1732870117847506-615: Was independent in 1902 and from 1907 to 1909; the United States Baseball League , which folded during its independent 1912 season; and the Colonial League, a National Association Member that went independent in 1915 and then folded. Another independent league, the Federal League , played at a level considered major league from 1914 to 1915. Few independent leagues existed between 1915 and 1993. Major exceptions included
529-455: Was the first where the league operated entirely with wooden bats only. Just prior to the beginning of the 2015 season, the league was informed that the ballpark ownership and the city of Ozark were negotiating with fledgling semi-pro baseball leagues, and Springfield Metro Baseball relocated to ballparks on the near west side of Springfield (Barnhouse & Optimist Fields). No baseball ended up taking place at Price Cutter Park in 2015. In 2016,
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