Terre Haute loses out on another big baseball weekend
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana State University’s baseball team was eliminated from the NCAA tournament over the weekend, and the city of Terre Haute lost as well. The games against Texas Christian University were held in Fort Worth, but they could’ve been held in Terre Haute. ISU said it couldn’t handle both the tournament and the annual Indiana Special Olympics, which the school has hosted for more than 50 years.
Vigo County Tourism Executive Director David Patterson told Inside INdiana Business Host Gerry Dick he is among those who thought accommodations could have been made.
“It was a poor decision by solely by ISU,” Patterson said. “I firmly believe had they reached out to my office, the convention and visitors bureau, the mayor, the commissioners, the chamber, we could’ve certainly put together an excellent tournament.”
ISU played host to the Missouri Valley Conference championship and one of 16 NCAA regional tournaments over the previous two weekends at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute. Hotel rooms were nearly booked solid and local businesses were excited about the increase in visitors to the city’s emerging downtown.
“This type of positive event touches so many different people than maybe the casino or the convention center or other things that are happening in town that we can tout and be positive and feel good about,” said Kelly Ford, owner of J. Ford’s Black Angus restaurant. “This has even a further reach to some other people that were like, ‘You know, Terre Haute really is a cool place.'”
But as the Sycamores advanced to face Super Regional to play TCU, the game was forced to move to Fort Worth in what some viewed as an unforced error, costing the city a golden opportunity.
“I guess looking back and reflecting now, it would’ve been good to know that there was an opportunity to have a community discussion; we could’ve supported ISU in a way to ensure that this happened,” Mayor Duke Bennett told our partners at WTWO-TV.
Patterson said the impact of the decision cost more than just giving the Sycamores home field advantage.
“In terms of dollars…we probably lost somewhere between $500,000 and $750,000 of economic impact,” he said. “This community comes together all the time. We’ve had 16 national championships in cross country; there are typically other festivals and events going on at the same time. It was as simple as [ISU] didn’t ask.”
The Missouri Valley Conference championship and the NCAA regional championship, combined with a firefighters convention that also took place during the same time, Patterson said, created nearly $2 million in economic impact.
Despite the confusion with the super regional, Patterson said he feels this is the time for Terre Haute as it continues to gain momentum with the new convention center and the Terre Haute Casino Resort set to open next year.
“I really believe that the next few years and all of the investment and things that are happening here are going to dictate the next 50 years for this community,” he said. “I think we’re in a very important time for our community to make the most of what we have available.”
Editor’s Note: The interview with David Patterson was conducted prior to the ISU vs. TCU super regional.