Santa Maria Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of Hagerman Sports Complex
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – What started out as a dream to build a softball facility in Santa Maria nearly 40 years ago, is now not only a reality, it’s now celebrating 25 years of operation. On Tuesday evening, the City of Santa Maria held a 25th Anniversary Celebration for the Hagerman Sports Complex.
The 22-acre site, located directly across from the Santa Maria Public Airport, first opened in 1990. Since then, it has held thousands of sporting events, including softball, soccer and volleyball games. The complex has also held cultural festivals, concerts, car shows and other community gatherings.
Most notably, though, the Hagerman Sports Complex is a well-known, and well-liked facility for softball. The complex includes four fields, which have been used for softball games of every level imaginable, from youth, to high school to collegiate to recreational.
“If you consider how important softball is to a lot of members in this community, this place is like their Mecca,” said Alex Posada, Director of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department. “They come here every week and some people play in three to four leagues a week. It’s amazing since there are three seasons in a year. They’re here all the time and that in of itself gets people out, gets them healthy, gets them involved with the community.”
During the 40-minute ceremony, several members of the community were recognized for their involvement in bringing the facility to fruition during the 1980’s. One of them was Alex Ferrell, a local softball pioneer who helped form the Santa Maria Softball Association. The grassroots organization was created in 1980 and assisted in the creation of the complex. The group also raised $50,000, which helped with construction costs.
In 1987, the City announced the site would be named the “James M. Hagerman Softball Center,” in honor of his long association with recreational activities. Hagerman, who died in 2008, served on the City’s Recreation and Parks Commission for more than 30 years and was instrumental in the construction of the complex, which was later renamed, the “James M. Hagerman Sports Complex.”
Following the ceremony on Tuesday evening, very appropriately, four softball games were held, including one between the Special Olympics Team USA squad versus a team made of local celebrities and dignitaries. In addition, other games featured players from Santa Maria and Orcutt girls softball leagues, as well as the Recreation and Parks Adult Softball League.
Posada said the facility is a premiere sports facility for the city and has been a economic engine for local business. The complex plays host to numerous softball tournaments throughout the year, often drawing teams from around the state, as well as from around the country.
“Not only do we have a nice facility, but Santa Maria has great weather. There are a number of complexes around us now, but some of them are in northern San Luis Obispo County and it gets very hot there to play. Some of them are over in the valley and it’s the same thing with the weather conditions. You can come here to Santa Maria and just enjoy yourself and have nice weather.”
The Hagerman Sports Complex, which features four field combinations for baseball and softball, includes bleacher seating, interior parking and a full-service concession center that is under new ownership. It is available to be reserved for use by contacting the City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department at www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/recreation
