Springville Wiffle ball field built, and people came

SPRINGVILLE - Surrounded by cornfields and gravel roads, Nate Sanderson's property is perfectly situated for his own personal 'Field of Dreams.”

There, behind the house, Sanderson built what is known as The Wiffle Ball Field, which he uses to host fundraising tournaments for a variety of charities.

'We want everything that is collected to go somewhere else,” Sanderson said.

Sanderson built the field with the help of Springville's basketball team. Sanderson is the girls basketball coach at Springville High School.

'This is his kind of dream,” said Megan Wagaman, 17, a member of the basketball team. She added working on the field was an important part of team development.

One inspiration for Sanderson's field was Little Fenway, a one-fourth scale replica of Fenway Park in Vermont. That field also hosts fundraising tournaments.

'It kind of showed that it can be done,” Sanderson said of Little Fenway.

The Wiffle Ball Field is so new that it continues to experiment with fundraising and tournament models. Past tournaments have raised money for organizations such as Springville Area Neighborhood Service and Information (SANSI) and the Coralville Ecumenical Food Pantry.

'We were looking for something unique,” said John Boller, executive director of the Coralville Ecumenical Food Pantry and a longtime friend of Sanderson's, about why the organization chose to have a fundraiser out there. 'I think it went very well.”

Sanderson said he has focused on helping charities that already have a connection to his family.

'It's a game that like anyone can play,” Sanderson said of Wiffle ball, adding he believes there are not a lot of games that can attract players of all ages.

The field's bases are 42 feet apart, and the game is played with each team pitching to its own players.

'Depending on the direction of the wind, the game plays very different,” Sanderson said.

The Sandersons have absorbed the operational costs of the field, Sanderson said.

'It's a port-o-potty and some fertilizer,” Sanderson said, downplaying some of the other aspects - such as a bell for home runs - that have been incorporated. 'There really isn't a lot of upkeep right now.”

Upcoming events include the Wiffle Palooza competition on Labor Day Weekend to benefit SANSI. There also will be a concert on the field.

Organizations interested in using The Wiffle Ball Field can contact Sanderson through its Facebook page.