Rocket City Softball Showcase Requires Innovation, Risk

As Garrett Fahrmann and Joel Lamp walked the grounds of Toyota Field in October 2022, they had completed a transformation of the Madison, Alabama, baseball stadium.

Fahrmann, general manager of the Rocket City Trash Pandas — the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels — and Lamp, sports development manager for the Huntsville/Madison County CVB, had turned the baseball surface into a football field. North Alabama and Jacksonville State played in the unique game, which featured only one regulation-sized end zone.

“He and I are dangerous when we get together because we think we can do anything,” Fahrmann said of Lamp. “We turned this ballpark into a football field, even though the ballpark’s not big enough for football. So we had to play football one way on it.”

Nonetheless, the event was a success. As the pair walked the field, Lamp said something that got Fahrmann’s gears turning.

“I said, ‘Okay, now that we’ve done this, what if we took out the grass and turned it into a softball field?’ Two and a half years later, here we are,” Lamp said with a chuckle.

Huntsville/Madison will host the inaugural Rocket City Softball Showcase from February 19–23, featuring 14 college programs including SEC powers Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The event will also feature 12 local high school teams that will face off in six games on February 24.

“Anything’s possible — it just costs money, time and effort,” Fahrmann said.

More Than an Outfield Fence

Transforming a minor league baseball stadium into a collegiate softball field is as easy as putting up a shorter fence in the outfield, right?

That was the initial thought, until Fahrmann and Lamp were notified that home plate would need to be moved back about 20 feet toward the backstop due to softball field dimensions being drastically different than baseball.

“We had a surveyor come out with the city of Madison and stake home plate,” Fahrmann said. “And then the foul poles. The baseball aprons (foul territory) kind of slope for drainage, so all that’s got to come out, the mound’s got to come out, and everything’s got to be leveled. And we don’t have base anchors in place for softball. We have to make those, bury them and get them ready to go.”

So, indeed more than an outfield fence. All the movement will also necessitate the sodding of infield dirt areas and that dirt to be moved where grass used to be. Fahrmann says the project will cost him “more than six figures, but less than a half a million dollars.”

“I don’t want to say I’m a risk taker, but obviously I am if we’re doing something like this,” he said with a laugh.

One more detail … all of that work will have to be done in a 72-hour period since Toyota Field is hosting a three-game baseball series between North Alabama and Army on February 14–16.

“There’s baseball on the 16th and softball on the 19th, so that’s where I’m losing sleep and getting a little antsy,” Fahrmann said.

“It’s already been keeping me awake at night for months,” Lamp added. “But it’s a known issue and it’s something that we can plan for. We’ve got the best group in the business coming in to do this field transformation. To a degree, I’m extremely comfortable with them and knowing their background and what they can do. But until we have it as a softball field, absolutely we’re going to be anxious. I probably won’t sleep the night before the first game.”

Something that can’t be planned for is the weather in Huntsville. While it’s typically a mild winter in the area, there has been snowfall twice.

“It’s a big financial risk and it would be a big disappointment if the weather didn’t go our way, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives and that it’s going to be really cool,” Fahrmann said.

Showcasing the Rocket City

While the financial goals involved with this event include selling thousands of tickets and filling hotel rooms, Fahrmann and Lamp both say this is more of a passion project than anything.

“It’s going to bring a spotlight on our area and our city and not only what we’re capable of doing, but what we’re willing to do,” Fahrmann said. “Anybody’s capable of doing something like this, but who’s actually willing to do it?”

Lamp estimates the economic impact will be over $1 million and the city is expecting close to 1,000 room nights. He says it’s a collaborative effort not just between his CVB and the Trash Pandas, but also the city of Madison.

“Being able to create this event and really shine a light on Madison in a completely different way and bring a completely new group of fans to Toyota Field — many of them for the first time — it’s a huge opportunity to get on the map a little bit,” Lamp said.

Some of the SEC teams participating in the showcase have played in front of big crowds before, including Alabama, who was in the College World Series last year. But for many of the smaller schools, this might be the only time they play in front of a large crowd.

“How cool would it be for them to play in front of 6,000 fans? That’s our hope,” Fahrmann said. “Our goal is to create an unbelievable, memorable experience for everybody. We have six high school games here and that will be something to remember for the rest of their lives.”

Lamp says all the schools involved are excited about the opportunity.

“We’re kind of the trailblazers in this and everybody wants to see it,” Lamp said. “They want to see how the field plays. They want to see the sight lines since we’re moving home plate back. The front row behind the backstop is going to be closer to the catcher than the pitcher is. It’s a completely different experience. And to a degree, it’s a completely different softball experience than what you would get in Oklahoma City at the Women’s College World Series.”

No matter what the weather is, how the field plays or what the final scores are, Fahrmann is hoping for an event where everybody wins from the Trash Pandas, to the hotels and restaurants and the local city attractions.

“Hopefully people come from all over the country to see this,” he said. “They’re going to stay in hotels, they’re going to eat out at the restaurants and it’s an opportunity to showcase this entire area and what we have to offer here. We’re a great kept secret in the United States.”