Columbus selected to host NAIA Softball World Series in 2021. Here’s what we know
Columbus has been selected to host the NAIA Softball World Series beginning in 2021, the Columbus Sports Council announced Wednesday.
The agreement will span three years through the 2023 championship.
The deal will send the NAIA Softball World Series participants to the South Commons Sports Complex and Softball Stadium.
The annual event features 10 teams competing in a double-elimination bracket. Southern Oregon won the title in 2019.
This will be the second time that Columbus has hosted the NAIA Softball National Championship. The city also hosted the event in both 2013 and 2014, along with the NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships from 2016-2019.
“The South Commons Softball Complex has hosted some of the most elite players in the world, and we look forward to building our softball legacy with the talented NAIA student athletes that will be taking the fields each May in our community,” Columbus Sports Council Executive Director Merri Sherman said. “The stadium will be in prime condition for the World Series following recent updates, and players and spectators will enjoy the many amazing restaurants and amenities our vibrant city has to offer.”
The complex recently underwent a $4.8 million renovation that included upgrades to architectural improvements, a new drainage and irrigation system, upgrades in lighting and more. Continued upgrades will bring the total renovations cost to nearly $5.6 million. The city’s $3 million investment and private donations through the Columbus Sports Council of $2.2 million funded the renovations to the complex that were focused on two fields and a stadium built after the 1996 Olympics.
The complex drew 10,806 visitors in fiscal year 2019, which included the USA Softball International Cup, according to Sherman. Along with the Cup, the complex also hosted during that week the four-team Futures Cup for youth players. Combined, those tournaments brought an estimated $1.1 million to the local economy, VisitColumbusGA president and CEO Peter Bowden told the L-E in August.
Columbus also received invaluable media exposure, including telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2.
Each event the complex hosts is different, as some organizations cover certain expenses that others may not, but the economic impact of the events remains the same: The events hosted by South Commons alone traditionally bring in around $4.8 million, Sherman said.
According to information in the Sports Council archives, since 1995, the economic impact of the softball on Columbus has been $147.75 million.
