Bales couple opens league ballparks at former Pride Park location in B’field

Lifelong Bakersfield residents Chris and Lacee Bales have breathed new life into a familiar community landmark, opening a privately owned baseball and softball complex, Midwest Tournament Grounds, at the former Pride Park location in Bakersfield.

The new complex sits on 19 acres along the creek, a property long associated with youth sports, family gatherings and summer evenings at the ballpark. 

The Bales acquired the land last year through a property trade with the Bakersfield School District, which exchanged the Pride Park acreage for a 31-acre parcel after determining continued insurance coverage at the low-lying location was no longer feasible following multiple catastrophe claims.

The school district is currently constructing a new athletic complex along O Highway, where Bakersfield Lions’ school teams will compete. However, youth T-ball, softball and baseball league teams will once again take the fields at the former Pride Park location during the summer and other league seasons.

The park and all its elements remain open to the public at all times.

“Every morning we see people making laps, shooting bows, hitting balls - just being out here,” Lacee Bales said. “Most of the track is still lit after dark, and it gets used quite a bit.”

Putting the work in

Restoring the park has required months of cleanup and repairs after a tornado hit the area in March of last year, followed by several rounds of flooding and high-water damage.

The Bales have reinstalled fencing on the baseball field with help from Bakersfield High School coaches, rebuilt the driveway and most of the parking lot and are removing washed-in gravel and structures above the base flood elevation (BFE) to allow for natural drainage, as originally designed.Devin Murphy and Jett Smith were hired to assist with gravel work throughout the park.

The couple also hauled in 60 loads of clay to rebuild the entrance and added large concrete rubble to stabilize the area. 

Repairing the old, adding the new

According to the Bales, the baseball field is fully restored, and the softball field is close behind, needing only the reinstallation of fencing that was previously removed.

New net backstops have been ordered for both fields and are expected to arrive within the next few weeks.

The walking track that once looped around the park remains about 80 percent usable. The couple said plans are underway to remove a buried section of track that was rebuilt above flood elevation to improve drainage.

Playground equipment has been cleaned up and is usable, with sand replacing the mulch that was there previously.

Summer league returns

Chris and Lacee Bales coordinated the Bakersfield summer baseball and softball league for the past three years and will continue that role this season.

Participation in the summer league will be open to all, with age groups ranging from T-ball through 14U. Registration fees will range from $25 to $40 per child, depending on the league. While the league will operate as a draft format, formed teams and teams from surrounding towns are also welcome to participate.

“We’re looking at having a slightly longer season than usual,” Chris said. “And T-ball is going to be a hit this year as well.”

The grounds will also host several tournaments throughout the summer. 

Sign-ups for the Bakersfield youth summer league are expected to go out within the next two weeks. The complex will also host adult slow-pitch and ragball leagues, along with community draft nights.

Those interested in participating can contact Chris Bales at 870-656-7833 or by email at cbales@bakersfield.k12.mo.us

Batting cages and training

A new exciting addition to Midwest Tournament Grounds is its batting cages and training opportunities. Household memberships for the batting cages are currently set at $25 per month. 

The Bales have hired four trainers, two for softball and two for baseball, who can be scheduled through the complex. One of three planned pitching machines has already been installed, with more on the way, Chris said. 

Future improvements include three batting cages with unlimited-use pitching machines that can be adjusted for baseball, slow-pitch and fast-pitch softball. The monthly membership fee will give users 24/7 access to the cages. 

A personal mission

Both Chris and Lacee are Bakersfield graduates - Chris from the class of 2003 and Lacee from 2007 - and their connection to the park runs deep.

“Our kids have played ball here every summer since 2013,” Lacee said. “We’ve been part of this park for a long time.”

Chris has coached youth sports since 2005, beginning when his younger brother played baseball. The couple has also coached elementary basketball at Bakersfield over the past two years.

Their goal, they said, is to restore the park as a true community centerpiece.

“In the past, we hosted teams from Viola, Thayer, Gainesville, Hardy, Mountain Home and more,” Chris said. “We had tournaments and leagues all summer long, and it was huge.”

Plans are already underway to host an adult tournament to raise funds for a Fourth of July fireworks display at Bakersfield, something the community has gone without in recent years. 

Two memorial scholarship tournaments are also planned in the coming months: the Cory Parrish Memorial Scholarship and the Heart of a Servant Scholarship, honoring Karen Slavings. A tentative date of March 14 has been set for those events.

Find out more

With fresh dirt on the fields and new plans taking shape, Midwest Tournament Grounds will once again become a place where neighbors gather and kids spend their summers. 

The Bales hope the park will feel familiar to those who grew up playing there, while offering new opportunities for today’s families to enjoy ballgames, practices and community events in a setting many already call home. 

“Our hearts are fully invested in reviving this park for our community,” Chris said. 

For more information visit the “Midwest Tournament Grounds” Facebook page, call (870) 656-7833 or email cbales@bakersfield.k12.mo.us.