LINCOLN, Neb. – The Sandhills Global Youth Complex held its official grand opening ceremony on Saturday, April 26 to great excitement and fanfare as members of the community came out to celebrate a project long in the making.

With city, county and other leaders and officials present, the official grand opening of the Sandhills Global Youth Complex saw a busy Saturday with Nebraska Wesleyan baseball, youth baseball and softball tournaments and the grand opening ceremony the highlight of a busy Saturday at the complex.

Program highlights included remarks from emcee Charlie Colón, President of the Sandhills Global Youth Complex Board of Directors; Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird; Lancaster County Commissioner Rick Vest; Jim Hansen, Company Outreach Coordinator at Sandhills Global; Alex Gordon, former Husker and MLB standout; and Darin Erstad, former Husker player, head coach and MLB standout.

“The Sandhills Global Youth Complex team couldn’t be more excited to officially open the complex with this fantastic grand opening celebration of all the people that provided leadership, expertise and great generosity to our project,” says Joe Fagler, Executive Director of Sandhills Global Youth Complex. “We look forward to an exciting 2025 season and being the home to kids of all abilities to play the wonderful games of softball and baseball!”

The all-turfed complex will host local, regional and national baseball and softball tournaments and is home to Nebraska Wesleyan University’s baseball and softball teams. It will also provide local youth baseball and softball instruction and programming; and is home to Homer’s Heroes, a division of Lincoln Youth Baseball for boys and girls with physical or intellectual disabilities.

With games now taking place at the Sandhills Global Youth Complex, it is estimated that a full-year schedule will produce upwards of $15 million to $20 million in economic impact for the Lincoln community, cementing its place as a vital attraction to bring visitors to Lincoln.

“The addition of the Sandhills Global Youth Complex to our community’s tourism skyline will have a profound social and economic impact on Lincoln for years to come,” says Jeff Maul, Vice President-Executive Director of Visit Lincoln. “By providing a first-class venue for kids and their families to enjoy as they pursue their dreams on the baseball and softball fields, our community will be the backdrop for memories that will last a lifetime. The Sandhills GlobalYouth Complex celebrates the storied history of baseball and softball in Lincoln and will give youth a place to flourish, grow and have fun, well into the future,” Maul concludes.

The festivities included first pitches from Erstad, as well as Cori Sampson Vokoun, Vice President of Strategic Operations at Sampson Construction and athlete Dathin Cooper.

“I am confident that this is truly one of the finest youth complexes in the Midwest, and this is now a place where youth of all ages and abilities will come together to engage in healthy and character-building activities, learning the values of teamwork, hard work, sportsmanship and forever creating generational memories,” says Charlie Colón, President of the Sandhills Global Youth Complex Board of Directors.

The complex is made possible through a public/private effort that includes the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, West Haymarket JPA, and a number of private sector funders. The complex is uniquely located near the Haymarket District, Lincoln’s hotel and entertainment epicenter.

“The Sandhills Global Youth Complex represents what’s possible when our community comes together to invest in young people, grow economic opportunity and enhance quality of life,” notes Leirion Gaylor Baird, Mayor of Lincoln. “These world-class ballfields promise to strengthen Lincoln’s economy and build lifelong memories for families throughout our city and beyond.”

“The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners is excited to join our public and private sector partners in celebrating the opening of the Sandhills Global Youth Complex,” states Rick Vest, Chair of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners. “This state-of-the-art complex in northwest Lincoln will increase recreational opportunities for the youth in our community, reinvigorate and grow area businesses in the area and enhance our overall tourism landscape. We are grateful to be a part of a community that invest in projects that will serve our youth for decades to come.”

As project over ten years in the making, the Sandhills Global Youth Complex is a first-of-its-kind complex for the region and is now officially open, welcoming baseball and softball players from all backgrounds and abilities to our community as they grow in their love of the game.

For more information about the complex, visit sandhillsglobalyouthcomplex.com.