Dickinson Diamonds, fans, coaches and players officially open Sanford Softball Complex

Apr. 29—DICKINSON — Well, it's official ... and while last season's play at Fisher Industries Sports Complex will remain etched in the minds of fans for eternity, Dickinson Diamonds athletes will now also sport their skills on the fields at Sanford Softball Complex, where they participated in not-only a series of Sunday games but-also the official opening ceremonies to recognize the four-field masterpiece will be one of the premier homes for softball from now-on and into the future of the sport in Dickinson.

Games have been played on the fields for months at the high-school and college-level for the DSU Blue Hawks, but Sunday, April 28, 2024 was the first time the SSC hosted recreational-league games in any official capacity on all four fields, and the circumstance is a dream-come-true for Dickinson Diamonds President Jeremy Jahner, whose family — particularly daughters Bailey, Madi and Ava Jahner — has contributed to the softball scene in the area for well-over a decade.

"It's the end of a big dream, right? And the Diamonds — back in 2007 — didn't know if any of this would be possible, and it's pretty special," Mr. Jahner said. "I would say that we're the envy of the North Dakota softball community and nobody else has anything like this, in my mind."

He added, "It's possible because of the commitment from DSU, the community, the high school and our sponsors all working together to build this and build softball in Dickinson."

Since the early 2000s, Ava and her family have been a fixture in the Dickinson softball community, and the current-Midget/future-Blue-Hawk sees the introduction of the facility as a culmination almost 20 years of hard-work ... and play.

"It's a huge deal to see it actually come to life, and we're going to be using these fields — forever — and that's really cool," Ms. Jahner said. "Softball has always been a huge part of my life, obviously, but for me personally it's going to be awesome to be able to be in Dickinson and play on these fields — next year as a Blue Hawk — and I will still be part of it and get to help the little kids and see them evolve on these fields, as well as myself."

The Jahners — with Jeremy's wife, Tesha and Madi's future-softball-standout daughter, Aftyn, in tow — were all on hand with hundreds of fans for the Sunday festivities, which recognized the league's integral positioning as a standard-bearer for youth sports in Southwest North Dakota, a situation that has been crucial to Dickinson State University head softball coach Kristen Fleury and the Blue Hawks' long-term goals.

"When we built this, we were able to build four fields and not just one because we wanted to give the young girls the opportunity to play on a field that they're proud of and a good field: Something that they deserve because they work really hard," Fleury said. "It goes back to when the Dickinson Diamonds first started — and all the people that started it — and the difference between where it started and where it is today, has just shown the growth and the support of the community, has for the program."

Fleury added, "Our goal is to have as many kids in front of these college athletes as possible; we all started that little, too, and it's a cool place."

Dickinson Diamonds vice president Nick Peterson can be found in the SSC's press box during DHS Midgets games and around the complex at many times, but for Sunday's events he was pleased to see this next-step of the Diamonds' future take hold and proceed, as-planned.

"To see kids come from playing across the street to playing in the best facility in the state is huge," Peterson said. "Today alone, we had 16 teams come and play games and bring their parents — who support the field through the concession stand and support DSU athletics — and that goes hand-in-hand as the community has an unbelievable place to play softball."

The Dickinson Diamonds and the city's area sports have been a crucial part of the business community for more-than a generation, and Area Chamber of Commerce president Carter Fong welcomed the opening of the facility, which will host the North Star Athletic Conference's softball tournament from May 3-5 on Bravera Field, with chamber president Carter Fong on-hand to help play as host.

"For coach Fleury and coach (Amanda) Mickey, they've had successful programs for a long time, but they didn't necessarily have the facility to match what the boys and the men have at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark on the south-side of town, but now we have it," said Fong, whose 10-year-old daughter — Sydney — plays for the Diamonds' Optimist Club 10-U team. "We hope to capture as many of these local and state-wide softball tournaments at all levels, which will fill our hotels and fill our restaurants and I think everyone recognizes that."

The chamber recognized that the SSC will host the upcoming NSAA tournament, which — along with every softball tournament Dickinson is gifted with hosting in the future — Fong views as a "shot-in-the-arm" for area businesses and hoteliers, and while the Diamonds are a non-profit, dues-paying member of the organization, the DACC will continue to encourage the inclusion of the sparkling new facility into North Dakota's scheduling long into the future of the city's and the state's athletic plans.

"We're proud to call the Dickinson Diamonds, 'chamber-members,' and we're starting to see other youth-activity programs do the same thing and we're grateful for that," Fong added. "The reality is that youth-activities only happen in this community through the support of local businesses, and we celebrate that championship field — and it had a pretty-full schedule last year — and what you saw on Sunday was our first opportunity to celebrate the fact that we have four new turf infields and four new diamonds that can all be used by the Dickinson Diamonds' program and the community all the way through this spring and summer."

He added, "That's a cause for celebration and a way to bring everybody together."

Those NSAA games will be broadcast online and via KDIX radio during the duration of the NSAA tournament.

For more information about the Dickinson Diamonds' recreational softball league and all their activities, please visit the website at

https://www.dickinsondiamonds.org/

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