Archived Story
New complex to host college baseball game
Published 12:01am Friday, February 1, 2013VIDALIA — Johnny Lee Hoffpauir hosted plenty of tournaments when he was head baseball coach at Vidalia High School.
Now the Concordia Parish parks and recreation director will get to do that again next weekend — except it will be a little more relaxing for him this time.
“I’ve always said I wanted to host an event and not play in it, and now I’m getting my chance,” Hoffpauir said.
The new Concordia Parish District 3 Recreation Complex will host a junior college baseball game between Pearl River Community College and Baton Rouge Community College at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. Hoffpauir’s son, Pearl River head coach Josh Hoffpauir, brought up the idea to his father several months ago, Johnny Lee said.
“He said he wanted to do something for the community, and I told him that would be a great thing,” Johnny Lee said.
Prior to the game, the complex will host a baseball camp that morning featuring Hoffpauir’s son and Washington Nationals minor leaguer Jarrett Hoffpauir, along with other professional baseball players.
Johnny Lee said he’s trying to use this event to promote the complex and the game of baseball to the local community. Baseball fans will want to come out and watch Pearl River and Baton Rouge face off, Johnny Lee said, especially since Adams County Christian School alumnus Jake Brumfield is a pitcher for Pearl River.
“Both of these are great programs at the junior college level,” Johnny Lee said.
The camp, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., costs $60 per child, and Johnny Lee said the camp will focus on specific skills like pitching, throwing, hitting and running.
“These young kids could come out that morning, go to the camp, learn some skills then walk right over and watch a college game,” Johnny Lee said. “If you’re a baseball fanatic, that’s a good way to spend a Saturday.”
On Friday, Feb. 8, Pearl River will host an open-house practice where fans are welcome to come out and watch the team work out, as well as interact with the players. The practice will run from 4 to 6 p.m., and Johnny Lee said the first 150 people inside get free hot dogs.
Two day’s worth of events has Johnny Lee feeling pretty good about the future of the new complex, he said.
“We have the facilities now to do things that we were never able to do (before),” Johnny Lee said. “When these kids get through with summer ball, they’ll be able to say they played in one of the nicest complexes around.”
For more information, call Johnny Lee at 601-597-8294.
