Rippey Baseball Commissioner Mel Murken recently received notification from the Mid-Iowa Baseball League, informing him the league will be bringing ball games to Rippey beginning in May 2021.
This was great news. Mel has been recruiting the league for the past two summers but because of the pandemic, they were unable to play this year.
The prospect of hosting the Mid-Iowa Baseball League has prompted some improvements at the Walt Anderson Baseball Field in Rippey, upgrades made possible by funds provided by the Greene County Community Foundation, with matching funds from the Friends of Rippey.
Murken and fellow Rippey M and M volunteer scraper and painter Merle Jackson restored the original wooden Rippey grandstand with fresh paint. The M and M painters will next turn their talents to the improved baseball dugouts, where boxes have recently been built for the individual player’s hats and PVC pipes installed to store bats.
The dugout improvements also included new support rafters, and the same carpentry work has been completed in the visitor’s dug out. The M and M painters will soon be painting in both dugouts.
Minimal rent will be paid to the city of Rippey for use of the Walt Anderson Field, and the Friends of Rippey will be selling concessions at the games. The scoreboard will be reactivated, and the public address system will be restored to announce the players coming to bat.
Rippeyites will be pleased to learn that former Rippey resident and East Greene player David Hick will be playing in some of these home games.
Organizers seek a leader to help sing, “Take me out to the Ball Game.” Plan to come to Rippey and enjoy the sound of the crack of the bat in the summer of 2021.
