Ingram’s Little League Ballpark officially reopened Saturday morning, marking a long-awaited opening day with a ceremony, ribbon cutting and a first pitch thrown by Jim Crane, who played a key role in rebuilding the fields after they were decimated in the July 4, 2025, flood.
Crane, the Houston Astros owner and chairman, emphasized that a Little League field represents more than just baseball — it helps restore a sense of normalcy and community.
“This is a place where the community can gather and rebuild,” Crane said. “I’ve seen the effect of baseball and some of the things we’ve done in Houston and the Little League fields. They turn into little communities. Everybody gets to talk and meet each other, so it’s not baseball, it’s a community thing and a sense of pride, particularly when you have a great facility.”
Crane joined a long list of contributors, including the Houston Astros Foundation, Texas Rangers Foundation, Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, Major League Baseball, the Texas Rangers, Nolan Ryan Foundation, San Antonio Missions, the MLB Players Association, Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation and Musco Lighting. Together, they contributed around $3 million to bring the ballpark back to life.
“We just drove the bus a little bit, but everybody jumped on… It was close to $3 million, so everybody helped but luckily we had the resources to anchor and put our team over here to supervise it and we got it done,” Crane said.
The turnaround was swift. As recently as September 2025, the site had no fences, bleachers or dugouts.
Ingram Tom Moore Athletic Director and head football coach Tate DeMasco said donors were determined to have the fields ready by opening day.
Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation, said the project represents more than recovery — it reflects growth after disaster.
“Recovery is not about replacing things that were lost but recovery is about designing and building what comes next for a community,” Dickson said. “I feel strongly that the Ingram Little League Ballpark is a perfect example of the new thing that we are building, the new asset that our community has that the next generation will benefit from.”
Before the ribbon cutting, ballpark owner Mark Hensley thanked donors and volunteers, then welcomed James Danielson to lead the crowd in prayer.
DeMasco introduced Little League teams and coaches, bringing roughly 400 kids onto the field. The ceremony included baseball and softball teams, along with two teams from the Houston Astros Youth Academy, who woke up at 4 a.m. to travel to Ingram for a 10 a.m. exhibition game against Ingram’s 12U boys team.
With players chanting “cut the ribbon,” Crane, Dickson and Hensley stepped forward to officially reopen the facility, signaling that Little League baseball and softball in Ingram had returned.
Later, DeMasco reflected on the days following the July 4 flood, when an opening day like this seemed impossible. He said the community needed an “angel,” and pointed to Emelda Douglas, the Executive Director of the Astros Foundation, as that turning point.
DeMasco recalled meeting Douglas at City West Church, where she quickly connected him to Crane.
“She goes, ‘I hear we got some problems with the little league field.’ I said, ‘We got some big problems,’ and that’s the first angel that showed up,” DeMasco said. “We came out, we walked this field and she kept saying ‘Jim’s not going to like this,’ and then she finally told me ‘Mr. Crane.’ She took a couple of pictures and within 24 hours, she called me right back and said, ‘Mr. Crane’s coming. You need to get ready and we’re going to walk this field.’”
From the start, DeMasco said, Crane was focused on one goal — getting kids back on the field by opening day. He also made it a point to ask about others in the community who needed help.
“Jim Crane’s not only doing this for baseball, he has helped out in our community all over this place so much,” DeMasco said. “Families, foundations, things like that. It’s not just about baseball to him. It was about getting this county rebuilt.”
Following remarks from DeMasco, Crane, José Guzmán with the Texas Rangers Foundation, Dickson and others, the ceremony turned to the first pitch. Wearing a custom Ingram jersey with his name and college No. 24, Crane delivered it to DeMasco’s son, Ty.
DeMasco then noted that this season marks the 40th year of Ingram Little League before inviting Ingram High School athlete Holly Alvarado, sidelined with an injury, to yell “play ball” and officially begin the season.
Dickson said the phrase carried a deeper meaning for a community that understands loss.
“The words ‘Play ball’ mean normality and normal life can commence again,” Dickson said. “I think we take for granted things like kids in school and Little League practice and sports games, until it’s taken from us. This community, more than many, understands loss and doesn’t take normal life for granted. So when she screamed play ball today, I think it was a rallying cry for everybody that a new day is here.”
For DeMasco, the day underscored the Houston Astros organization’s impact in delivering a high-quality facility.
“Being five hours away and making sure our community was ready for opening day is a very humbling experience, especially coming from a professional franchise,” DeMasco said. “You can see the attention to detail and how well they did all this.”
As Crane looked into the Ingram 12U dugout, he said the players’ reactions captured the moment.
“You can see the smiles. I was one of those kids,” Crane said. “You remember that, so it makes me happy.”
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