One of Blytheville’s best assets will come back to life this spring as the Blytheville Baseball Softball Boosters announced it will have a youth baseball and softball season at the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex.
Because of the pandemic, BBSB was unable to have a season in 2020 for the first time in nearly 70 years.
It takes dedicated volunteers for a program to continue that long, and BBSB has certainly had many committed coaches, commissioners and sponsors over the years, providing an avenue for children to learn valuable life lessons that come with team sports.
Some of my favorite memories are from coaching or watching my children play ball at the Sportsplex when they were young.
It’s just a wonderful atmosphere: the smell of ballpark food; fans enjoying the company of one another and glued to each pitch of their Little Leaguer’s at-bat; and children’s reactions to making a big hit or exciting defensive play.
As cliché as it sounds, they are learning to work as a team, enjoying successes and learning from defeats. They build friendships, some of which last a lifetime.
I’m thrilled to see the program return this year.
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Built in 2002, the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex has been a tremendous asset over the years, hosting state tournaments on every level and several Little League Regional tournaments that drew teams from as far as Colorado.
A few years ago, conservatively it was estimated that a family spends around $300 at local businesses during the smaller local tournaments, and around $1,000 during the state and regional tournaments. With a dozen or so players on each team, that adds up pretty quickly and provides a nice economic boost for local businesses — restaurants, hotels, gas stations, retailers, etc.
One year, local leaders estimated one of the tournaments pumped about $700,000 into the local economy during that week.
Once the pandemic ends, it would be nice to see tournaments return to the Sportsplex, and Blytheville take advantage of one of the best baseball/softball venues in the state.
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The new Chickasaw Arena is hosting its first of hopefully many tournaments this week, the 4A East Region Tournament.
The Blytheville Chickasaws entered as the top seed from the 4A-3 district and the second-ranked team in Class 4A. They’ve had an incredible season already, having solidified a spot in next week’s 4A state tournament.
Coach McKenzie Pierce has done an outstanding job with the men’s basketball program since taking over five years ago.
Blytheville has a rich tradition on the hardwood, and Pierce is the latest in a long line of exceptional coaches that also includes Hall of Famer Danny Ebbs, 2006 state championship coach David Hixson, 1979 state championship coach Jim Dixon, legendary Bill Tyer, and the “founding father of Blytheville’s basketball tradition” Dwight Williams, to name a few.
Before Pierce took over in 2016, it had become a revolving door. In 2015, Coach Jason James resigned a month before his second season was to start, and Tyer filled in that year.
Before James, Coach Jeff Flanigan spent just two seasons on the Chickasaw bench, compiling an un-Chickasaw-like 13-41 record, before taking a principal job at Jonesboro High School.
To be fair, Flanigan had big shoes to fill having taken over for Hixson, who had become the athletic director after serving as the Chicks head coach for more than 20 years.
Pierce has revived the Blytheville program and made it a state power once again, creating excitement in the community and an atmosphere in the arena similar to the old Chickasaw Gym in its heyday. He is truly a special coach who cares about his players, both on and off the court, making sure they take care of business in the classroom too.
Best of luck, Chicks, in the remaining Regional games and the state tournament.