As we officially shift our focus for the summer to the incredible sports facilities keeping our local athletes sharp, we couldn’t think of a better place to kick things off than down 65 at the Ozark Mountain Sports Complex. We were thrilled to sit down with General Manager Ryan Wolfe to talk about a massive week of baseball, the historical roots of the venue, and some jaw-dropping expansion projects happening right in our backyard.

Hosting the Best in Missouri

We caught up with Ryan right in the middle of a massive week for the facility as they host the MSHSAA Classes 1 through 6 State Baseball Championships. Thankfully, the weather has cooperated beautifully. Local teams, state officials, and fans have been flooding into the 4,000-seat stadium, and the feedback on the facility’s recent upgrades has been outstanding. Ryan, an alumnus of Springfield Public Schools’ Glendale High School baseball program under coaches Stratton and Bell, knows exactly what it means to step onto a top-tier diamond in the Ozarks.

The Bristol Field & Field Layout Improvements

If you haven’t been out to the ballpark in the last few years, you are going to notice some major structural and aesthetic upgrades. The biggest eye-catcher is the brand-new AstroTurf. Believe it or not, this is the exact same game field used at Bristol Motor Speedway for last year’s Reds vs. Braves matchup. Beyond the famous turf, Ryan detailed how they cut in the foul lines—bringing the fence to seven feet off the line—to make gameplay truer and eliminate that old “Grand Canyon” feel in foul territory. They also added six hitting cages in left field and completely flipped the bullpens so pitchers throw toward the action while keeping an eye on the game.

A Brand-New Indoor Training Complex and Stay-and-Play Hotel

The evolution of Goforth Construction is moving at a blistering pace. After selling the old indoor space—which is now completely drop shots pickleball—construction is set to begin on a brand-new, cutting-edge indoor training facility located on the right-field concourse. It will feature 12 cages, a specialized pitching room equipped with TrackMan technology, a weight room over 1,000 square feet, and a 145-foot speed and agility track.

But that’s not all. To turn the venue into a true national tournament hub, they are building a 122-room Choice Hotel right in the parking lot. This gives teams a true “stay-and-play” experience where players and parents can look out their windows directly onto the stadium field. Combined with a newly renovated first-base concourse and a fully upgraded commercial kitchen that just opened this week, the complex is truly trending toward becoming a premiere Midwest sports destination.