BA Youth Baseball growing in popularity

For more than 50 years, Broken Arrow Youth Baseball has been teaching area kids the fundamentals of America's game.

"Broken Arrow Youth Baseball provides a place for kids to make friends, have mentors, and have a purpose for themselves," said Operations Manager Tiffany Kelly. "And so that's basically what Broken Arrow Youth Baseball means to me, it is a big family, and there's a place for everyone."

Established in 1973, Broken Arrow Youth Baseball's mission is to instill core values like character, respect, leadership, and fitness in young people through the sport of baseball.

Youth Baseball is available for kids as young as 3 through high school graduation. The games are generally played from March until October. Tournaments are held every other weekend, and recreational league play is scheduled during the week.

"For the Fall League, we have almost 1,000 kids," Kelly said. "So, throughout the season, for spring, summer, and fall, we're at 2,000 or a little over 2,000 players."

Baseball is continuing to grow in Broken Arrow.

"There's a sense of community here in Broken Arrow, and that's just the draw," Kelly said.

Broken Arrow Youth Baseball has kids playing on teams who are from as far away as Claremore, Bartlesville, and Muskogee.

"And this year is another banner year for spring, summer, and fall," Kelly said.

She credits Broken Arrow's facilities for helping to grow the sport.

"I really do believe that it is the facilities that we have, it's a huge complex," Kelly said. "We have fields that are for 13- to 18-year-olds, which most parks don't have. And we provide good service and a good product that they pay for. And so, people return, and they enjoy it because they, too, feel like it's the Broken Arrow youth baseball family."

Teams from as far away as Minnesota have scheduled tournaments in Broken Arrow.

"So, the teams that have really cold, icy weather, they'll travel just about anywhere, and they come here and play," Kelly said.

And while cold and ice aren't much of an issue for Broken Arrow during the season, rain can pose a challenge.

"I'm definitely not knocking it at all, but maybe if we had the turf or if we had the fields leveled and, in a manner, so that there is better drainage, it would help," Kelly said.

Rainy days lead to cancelled games, making rescheduling difficult. Kelly recalls that on Sept. 21, the games were stopped due to rain.

A sudden downpour on Sept. 21 halted play, resulting in about 50 games being cancelled in a single day across all 16 fields, affecting 2,000 people. However, major improvements to the city's baseball facilities are coming if voters approve Proposition 8 when they go to the polls for the Build Our Future BA General Obligation Bond election on April 7.

Proposition 8-focuses on sports and public facilities improvements across Broken Arrow. Unlike the other propositions, it would be funded through a temporary 0.5 percent sales tax increase dedicated specifically to improvements in sports facilities.

If approved, this sales tax would only benefit the sports facility projects listed in this proposition. It would begin on July 1, 2026, and expire on June 30, 2031.

Improvements to the Indian Springs Sports Complex Baseball facilities, with estimated costs, include:

• New restrooms near Field 9 and 10: $950,000
• Turf conversion 16 infields of various sizes $2,600,000
• Regrade and sod 16 outfields of various sizes for $4,000,000
• LED Field Lighting System Retrofit $2,350,000
• Safety Netting $100,000

Regarding the vote on enhancements to public sports facilities, Kelly is hopeful that voters will appreciate the importance of their decisions for the future of Broken Arrow youth. She says statistics show that kids are better-rounded and less likely to get into trouble when they are involved in sports or other activities they enjoy.

"It absolutely matters-to every player, every coach, their children one day," Kelly said. "This is what motivates us, so of course your vote matters to the kids out here."

For more information on how to get involved, visit the Broken Arrow Youth Baseball website.