Beloit Snappers Exploring New Park Options

The Beloit (Wis.) Snappers are exploring options for the new baseball stadium. The Class Midwest League certainly needs one. Beloit was one of my stops during my many Minor League Baseball Trips years ago and it was not one of the better stops on my tour. I can only imagine how it looks 20 years later.

Key stakeholders looking to build a downtown stadium for the Beloit Snappers minor league baseball team made their first pitch to the Beloit City Council and city residents at a meeting Monday night.

Potential owner Quint Studer and Senior Vice President of Development and Hendricks Commercial Properties John Gackstetter presented conceptual plans and a tentative timeline for the process that could see the Snappers relocate to 217 Shirland Ave., a 7-acre site west of Beloit City Hall on the bank of the Rock River. The plan calls for the stadium to be ready by opening day of April 2021.

The project is estimated to cost $34.2 million and require no public financing, with the majority of private investment coming from ABC Supply Chair Diane Hendricks.

Hendricks Commercial Properties will serve as developer on the stadium project going forward with architectural design by Jones Petrie Rafinski. Final steps include receiving capital commitments, city council approval of design plans, verifying construction costs and closure on the land sale.

Wade LeBlanc, Husky Football and Chowder

Seattle is one of my favorite cities and Husky Stadium is one of college football’s most scenic venues.

While on this trip, I was able to take in the Texas Rangers-Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field. I had great seats in the club level, thanks to Mariners play-by-play announcer Aaron Goldsmith. It was the final regular-season series of the 2018 season.

A New Ballpark in Kingsport?

A new stadium could be in the works for the Kingsport (Tenn.) Mets, who play in the rookie level Appalachian League. The Mets currently play their home games at Hunter Wright Stadium, which opened in 1995 and seats 2,500 people.

Prior to moving to Wright Stadium, the Mets played at J Fred Johnson Park, which was also the home to the Dobbins-Bennett HS baseball team. Dobbins-Bennett HS and Gate City (Vir.) HS play home games at Hunter Wright Stadium.