Collegiate softball teams look to lease Mankato fields

Oct. 17—MANKATO — A lease agreement has been reached for a female version of the Mankato MoonDogs to play a 20-game home schedule at the municipal ballpark at Franklin Rogers Park beginning in June.

Sponsored by the Northwoods League, which provides opportunities for collegiate baseball players to develop and showcase their skills each summer, the new league would do the same for collegiate softball. The local team would have the same ownership as the MoonDogs — Chad Surprenant and Kyle Smith — and would use the same Franklin Rogers facility, which is officially called ISG Field.

"There's not another one around," MoonDogs President Chris Goodell told the City Council in a September work session pitching the possibility of an agreement. "This is history, potentially, in the making."

Portable fencing, bases and a pitching rubber would transform the park from baseball to softball for each of the new league's home games. The roughly $20,000 lease also includes space at the nearby Caledonia Community Center where the team would store the fencing and other materials when the park was being used for baseball.

The agreement approved by the City Council without comment last week comes even as city officials continue negotiations with Bethany Lutheran College to potentially lease the new championship field, designed specifically for softball, at the city-owned Thomas Park.

Council members were generally supportive of the concept of Bethany using the field, located just east of East High School, as its home softball field. But there was concern about a provision allowing the private college to sell advertising at the field, and council members had doubts about about adding traffic to Hoffman Road on weekday afternoons when it is already congested with school-related vehicles.

Diamond Dreams

The new Northwoods League softball team would not have the same traffic concerns if it was playing at Thomas Park because the league's games will be played from mid-June through early August when East High School isn't in session. Team officials, though, said the amenities and media infrastructure at ISG Field are important to the new league.

"Everything is there," Goodell said.

The new $6.4 million Thomas Park complex features a championship field with a grandstand, new restrooms and concessions and artificial turf, but it doesn't have ISG Field's variety of seating options including a party deck and skybox, a massive video screen in its scoreboard and high-definition TV capabilities.

The TV feed from certain Northwoods League baseball games was occasionally used by channels such as ESPN Plus, and MoonDogs Vice President Ben Kapanke said the same capability should be in place for softball.

"The TV networks are really excited about potentially broadcasting the softball games," Kapanke said.

During the work session, council members wondered whether the 20 additional home games required by the new team would reduce the ability of youth players to use the facilities at Franklin Rogers. Staff said it could bump some youth games, particularly in June, but the field would probably still be available for morning youth baseball contests.

Goodell emphasized the value of the new league, which would recruit top college softball players from across the United States, in inspiring girls from south-central Minnesota who attend the games.

"Imagine an aspiring you softball player being able to meet the starting shortstop from UCLA," he said.

Council members sought assurances that city workers wouldn't be responsible for transforming the field from softball to baseball and back again and that the temporary fencing and other portable softball add-ons would not damage the artificial turf on ISG Field.

Goodell and Kapanke — who also serve identical administrative roles for Northwoods League franchises in Rochester and La Crosse, Wisconsin — said the same gear is used without negative repercussions elsewhere, including in Minnesota State University's sports bubble.

Parker Skophammer, administrative services director for the city, said those sorts of questions are one of the reasons the lease was for a single year only. That way, any concerns can be addressed when it's time to renew the lease.

Bethany talks continue

Bethany Lutheran College is already leasing ISG Field as its home baseball park and expressed interest in doing something similar for softball when city officials were designing the Thomas Park project.

But parking and traffic are more of an issue at Thomas due to its proximity to East High, which provides its parking lot for evening and summertime use by softball players and fans at Thomas. Bethany's softball team would be looking to use the championship field as early as 3:45 p.m., playing up to 30 games in March, April, May and September — months when the high school is in session.

The tentative lease would have set annual rent at as much as $13,300 if all 30 games were played.

Council member Brian Mettler said traffic congestion, school bus access and pedestrian safety make it unwise to add potential spectator traffic to that part of Hoffman Road during the mid-afternoon hours on weekdays.

"Starting anything there before 5 o'clock would be insane," Mettler said.

Council member Jessica Hatanpa, while emphasizing she doesn't oppose Bethany's use of Thomas Park, objected to allowing Bethany to sell the advertising on outfield fences and elsewhere on a field constructed with taxpayer dollars through the local half-percent sales tax. Hatanpa said North Mankato's Caswell Park softball complex charges $1,200 a year for outfield banners and that a field can offer as many as 22 spots for a banner.

"For what we are charging them, they will make money," she said of Bethany. "It doesn't make any sense why the city wouldn't sell the advertising."

Revenue from advertising sales could be set aside for future repairs at the facility, reducing the burden on taxpayers, Hatanpa said.

"After spending all this money, we owe it to citizens — if we have a way to bring in a little revenue — to do it," she said.

Skophammer said the same concept occurred to city staff, but they also knew that the local youth baseball association, many years ago, was granted the right to sell advertising at the Little League baseball complex near Rosa Parks Elementary.

"It's hard when we have two different sheets of music," he said.

Skophammer said staff would approach Bethany about entering into a one-year agreement and delaying the advertising discussion until the city does more research and settles on a broader policy.

Bethany had no immediate comment on the negotiations to lease Thomas Park or if the college has an alternative use planned for the site of its on-campus softball field.

"At this time, it's too early to announce any plans, and right now we are content to let the process continue moving forward," said Lance Schwartz, chief communication officer for BLC.

As for the advertising revenue, Schwartz didn't indicate the college would insist on retaining that provision in any agreement.

"The ability to sell advertising rights at a city-owned park is certainly up to the city and elected officials to decide," he said.