Bushnell Beacons and Springfield Baseball Project begin second season

Collegiate baseball is back in full swing in Springfield, as the Bushnell University Beacons have moved into their second season of competition, while the Springfield Drifters prepare to welcome a new batch of collegiate players for the summer league.

Last year, in a successful sports and recreation collaboration, the Springfield Drifters, celebrating their inaugural season in the West Coast League (WCL), joined Bushnell University to form the Springfield Baseball Project, renovating the Hamlin Sports Complex baseball field at Hamlin Middle School. Both the Drifters and Beacons now call the Hamlin Sports Complex their home, with the Beacons on the field from September through May (competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC), part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)) and the Drifters playing in the summer months, from May through September. And through strategic scheduling, the publicly-owned Hamlin facility continues to provide Springfield High School with a home field for their games as well.

The Springfield Baseball Project was the result of a collaboration between Bushnell University, Springfield Public Schools, and the co-owners of the Springfield Drifters – Ike Olsson, owner of local electrical contractor Olsson Industrial Electric, and Kelly Richardson, owner of local sports apparel manufacturer Richardson Sports. In January of this year, Olsson and Richardson won Springfield Heritage awards for the vision and philanthropy on the Springfield Baseball Project.

Coach Tommy Richards is the head coach for both the Bushnell Beacons and the Springfield Drifters. He is part of a long line of Bushnell coaches who create a positive culture among Bushnell athletics.

“Coach Richards is creating a true culture of respect and service among his players. … [His players] are volunteering in the Springfield community and setting a great example for youth.”

Corey Anderson, Bushnell University Director of Athletics

In their first season of competition, the Beacons Baseball team was honored with the Champions of Character award, given to only one athletic team among the 22 universities in the CCC. Over the history of these conference-level awards, Bushnell has been awarded nine out of 32 individual awards and three out of eight team awards. Additionally, this year, Bushnell women’s softball player Samantha Silver won the national 2022 Leroy Walker Champion of Character award for the entire NAIA.

The Beacons second season began on February 4th and will consist of 59 total games. The season will stretch through the end April. The new Hamlin baseball fields offer a comfortable place for youth to participate in baseball clinics and for families to watch college baseball throughout the spring, summer and fall. 

Find Bushnell Beacons schedule here: https://bushnellbeacons.com/sports/baseball/schedule/2023
Special thanks to Corynn M. Gilbert, Ph.D. for valuable input on this article.