Fans Have A Field Day At Stadium

PLANT CITY - For the first time since the spring training days of the Cincinnati Reds, Plant City Stadium was nearly packed last week for a sporting event.

The 6,700-seat stadium was crowded May 3 as the USA Softball Women's National Team played an exhibition game against Florida Southern College.

The spectators included many female youth softball players from as far away as Savannah, Ga., who came with their parents to see the arguably best women's team in the world show their stuff. The players, who include members of the U.S. Olympic team, finished off the game with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and then shut out their opponents in the top of the seventh for a 12-0 win.

"The real winners here are the 5,200 people who sat in the stands and saw some great softball being played by both teams," said Jack Holland, the city's director of recreation and parks. "The game will have a lasting impression on all the youth softball players and other fans that came out to watch. We are thrilled to be a part of the USA team's national tour. The fans definitely got their money's worth."

Officials said 4,892 fans paid $15 each to attend the Amateur Softball Association-sponsored event. Another 300, including coaches and members of the media, brought the total in the stadium to a number unseen for an athletic event since the Cincinnati Reds played spring training games there from the late 1980s to the late 1990s.

The Reds moved to Sarasota in 1997, and Plant City was unable to find another Major League Baseball team wishing to relocate to the stadium. About two years later, the International Softball Federation moved its headquarters there, and the stadium was remodeled for softball.

A couple of professional women's softball teams played at the stadium but could never match the Reds' drawing power, and the league folded.

The crowd for the exhibition game was reminiscent of the Reds' glory days at the stadium, city officials said.

Carlton Benton, the recreation superintendent for the city, and the West Central Florida Amateur Softball Association commissioner, said 2,900 tickets were prepaid by youth players and their parents. The association paid $1,000 to rent the facility from the city. All concession revenues went to the city, Holland said.

"The game was promoted mostly through the players in the ASA-affiliated Future Stars League," Benton said as he watched Team USA bat in the bottom of the fifth inning. "The girls you see already lining up to get autographs from the players after the game are the ones who helped fill the seats tonight."

Benton said the Future Stars League, which plays all its games at the stadium and nearby city fields, has grown in the past hree years from 16 to 38 teams. Ironically, none of the teams is based in Plant City.

"Teams come from Venice, Orlando, Sarasota, Lakeland, Dade City, Auburndale, Winter Park, Bartow and many other towns in our area," Benton said.

The crowd May 3 was dominated by school-aged girls and their parents who were well-schooled in the game and players.

Mollie McDermit, a freshman at Sarasota Riverview High School who turned 15 the day after the game, brought her parents and a friend to the game. As a varsity pitcher, McDermit started 23 of her team's 25 games during the 2008 season and struck out about 10 opponents per game.

"This is pretty cool. I really want to have a future in the sport, so it's fun to see the Olympic USA team play," McDermit said. "Monica Abbott the Team USA pitcher is fast and overpowering. She has a weird-looking windup and a really good rise ball."

McDermit's parents didn't mind driving from Sarasota to bring their daughter and her friend Megan VanFleet to the game. VanFleet is a pitcher and second baseman for the Sarasota Riverview junior varsity team.

"Mollie's been playing softball since she was 4 years old," David McDermit said. "She loves the game, wants to play in college and one day play on the USA team. It's great to see these players in person."

Mollie McDermit said she has been following the career of Team USA outfielder Caitlin Lowe, a former player for two national championship teams at the University of Arizona.

"Caitlin is a great hitter and can really run," McDermit said. "It would be great to play in college her preference is UCLA and go to the Olympics like Caitlin is doing."

Team USA is 29-1 on its Bound4Beijing tour.

Don Porter, president of the International Softball Federation, which organizes world softball and the sport's Olympic efforts, sat in the stadium press box during the game.

"I'm glad to see the interest in softball is still up in this area," Porter said. "There are a lot of youngsters in the crowd today; a lot of girls who play the game."

"People from Savannah, Jacksonville and all over Florida have come to see these two teams play."

Porter said the 2008 Olympic softball venue in Beijing is almost complete.

Porter, a world traveler for the federation and the sport it represents, recently returned from visiting Venezuela.

"They have a very good national team, which will compete in the Beijing Olympics starting Aug. 8," he said.

Porter also visited Chicago, which is making a bid for the 2016 Olympics. Porter is hoping to have women's softball reinstated at the 2016 Olympics. Softball was removed as a participating sport from the 2012 Olympics, to be played in London. Porter is hoping a good showing for the sport in Beijing will help make that happen.

"With interest in the sport similar to what we are seeing here today spreading all over the world it doesn't make sense for softball to be excluded as an Olympic sport," Porter said.

"Imagine the number of young players around the world who would miss out on the Olympic dream if this exemption continues. Thousands of young people in the U.S. and millions around the world would be cheated."