Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott is proud to announce a deal struck between Midwest Collegiate team, the Michigan City Lakers, and the City of Hammond Park Department, which allows the MC Lakers to lease Hammond’s south baseball field, located in Riverside Park, for use by this franchise for the 2016 MCL Summer Baseball Season. For years, this franchise has played all their home games on the baseball field at Purdue North Central, located in Westville, Indiana. This baseball field has recently become unavailable to the Lakers franchise, leaving them without a field to play their 2016 home games. That is when representatives from the Midwest Collegiate League approached Hammond city officials about allowing the Lakers to play their home games in Riverside park, in Hammond.
“We were thrilled to be asked to temporarily house the historic Lakers franchise out of Riverside Park,” stated Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott. “Hammond officials are hoping soon to secure a commitment from the Midwest Collegiate League (MCL) to permanently operate a franchise out of this location in South Hammond. We have a great baseball stadium, equipped with lights, a scoreboard and seating capacity for around 500 spectators. I have always been a fan of the Whiting Oilmen, and now I am proud that Hammond, temporarily, has a MCL team that can compete with the great teams that form the Midwest Collegiate League. This is excellent use of an amazing, natural grass, baseball field that was built entirely with Hammond taxpayers’ money.”
The one year deal with the Michigan City Lakers provides that the baseball club will pay close to $5,000 for the primary use of the fields and that the City of Hammond Parks Department will keep all money received from the concession stands during the Lakers season. The Lakers Baseball Club, in return, will get to keep the proceeds from all ticket sales and will also be responsible for maintaining the field conditions of the South Baseball field at Riverside Park.