Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
HUNTINGBURG – League Stadium is already famous for its starring role in the hit movie, “A League of Their Own.” Later this summer, the Huntingburg stadium will host the inaugural Big League Baseball Classic.
Set for Aug. 10, the Big League Baseball Classic will bring eight Major League Baseball legends to Dubois County. The former MLB players will be split between two teams for a seven-inning matchup. The rest of the teams will consist of great names in local baseball.
Players who have been announced so far: Coco Crisp, who played for the Boston Red Sox; former St. Louis Cardinals Ray Lankford and Rick Ankiel; Bret Boone, who played for the Cincinnati Reds; former Chicago Cub Kyle Farnsworth and Scott Podsednik of the Chicago White Sox.
League Stadium is home to the Dubois County Bombers, a collegiate summer baseball league that plays in the Prospect League.
Justin Knepp is a majority owner of the Bombers, along with his wife Ara, and came up with the idea for the Big League Baseball Classic. Knepp, who is still finalizing the roster, said there’s great anticipation for the game.
“The Big League Baseball Classic is something fun to bring to Dubois County and southwest Indiana that’s never been there before,” Knepp said. “The players are excited. These are guys that still love the game.”
Proceeds from the exhibition game will benefit the Dubois County Bombers Charities, the team’s nonprofit that assists the team and community in positive ways.
The stadium seats about 3,500 and Knepp anticipates a sell-out.
Historic stadium, iconic movie
League Stadium was built in 1894 and renovated in the 1990s for filming of “A League of Their Own,” which featured the Rockford Peaches women’s baseball team. Usually, when a Hollywood movie builds a set, it is dismantled after the filming. But in the case of League Stadium, nothing was removed, not even the outfield advertisements.
“Every game, we have people come from way out of state to see the stadium,” Knepp said. “The movie has that everlasting impact and there’s a curiosity to this day to see where the movie was filmed.”
The Knepps were minority owners of the Bombers for 10 years before becoming majority owners last year. Previous owners Mike and Mary Uebelhor invited the Knepps to join the owner group because of Justin’s experience planning events.
“We were already fans of the Bombers,” Knepp said. “At the end of the day a baseball game is an event with a lot of moving parts, that, plus my love of baseball made us a perfect fit.”
The Knepps live and work in Indianapolis – Knepp is founder/managing partner of Indiana On Tap, a craft beer, wine and spirits media, marketing and events company – but their roots are in southwest Indiana. Justin grew up in Montgomery and Ara is from Huntingburg.
They spend the summer in Dubois County to stay involved with the day-to-day operations.
“As new ambassadors, we want to make it better. We had record attendance last year and were named the Summer Collegiate Baseball Organization of the year. That caught the attention of the Prospect League and they invited us to join. It was a huge honor,” Knepp said. “We are the smallest market team in this league that has 18 teams from eight states.”
Some of the best players in college baseball are in the Prospect League. The Bombers have one or two players that get drafted every year.
Whitney Lubbers, executive director of Visit Dubois County, said the stadium is a frequent stop for visitors on bus tours and the Big League Baseball Classic will create more interest in the stadium and the Bombers.
“Justin has done an awesome job planning this. Having this event that brings this top talent will build awareness,” she said.
Walking into League Stadium can feel like stepping back in time. The City of Huntingburg, which owns the stadium, has maintained the historic character while also keeping the stadium up to date. In 2023, the city invested $750,000 in new seating.
Lubbers and Knepp consider League Stadium an untapped asset with the potential for national acclaim and visitation. Hosting an event of this caliber will bring additional attention to the stadium resulting in an overall increase in visitation and strengthening the county’s visitor economy.
Ticket info and event details can be found here.
Event partners include: Dubois County Bombers, Visit Dubois County, City of Huntingburg, Discover Southern Indiana, Team Indiana and Indiana Destination Development Corporation.
Upcoming events at League Stadium
Opening day for the Bombers is May 28. Last home game of the season is July 30. For details on promotion nights, visit here.
Other events planned at the stadium this summer include
July 5 Meet Marla Hooch (actress Megan Cavanaugh) from ‘A League of Their Own’
July 13 Peaches vs. Belles. Talented female players will wear vintage uniforms and play a game before the Bombers take the field.
Aug. 24 Red, White and Brauen Music Fest with headliner Trace Adkins