As the high school baseball season is upon us, I would like to again thank so many people who have made this project a success. As you know, Herzog Stadium is the only privately funded ballpark in Southeast Missouri. Being a privately funded park, as you can imagine, we have numerous challenges we are faced with, not the least of which is raising money for improvement each year.

One of the reasons I am so proud to be from Jackson is the tremendous community and individual support we get every year to make our stadium even better. Thanks to the Optimist Clubs in Jackson, to the local labor unions and all the small businesses and individuals, our stadium continues to grow and improve. This year you will notice new bullpens, batting cages and our beautiful $50,000 scoreboard that is fully functional. All of this has been because of the unselfish hard work and dedication of dads and coaches in our community who have one goal, which is to help the boys in our community.

A special thanks goes out to Jack Thompson, Brian Austin, Mark Howard, Todd Mills, Mark Lewis and Tatum Kitchen. Without the hard work and commitment of these men, and many others, the growth and improvement of this project would not happen.

Come out and see us this spring, I think you will like what you see.

JACK LITZELFELNER JR., Jackson