The Great Bend Sports Complex will host the 2014 baseball and softball championships of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
City Administrator Howard Partington and Great Bend Recreation Commission Executive Director Diann Henderson announced that the tournament games will be played Wednesday, April 30, to Saturday, May 3, 2014.
“We are thrilled to host the KCAC baseball and softball championships for 2014,” Partington said. “This is an opportunity for as many as 10 different college communities to see what Great Bend has to offer and play on our beautiful fields.”
A Great Bend Sports Complex team actively promoted the facility and encouraged the KCAC Board of Presidents to choose it as the location for the tournaments. The team is made up of City and GBRC staff, as well as individuals from Great Bend USD 428, the Barton Community College Sports Medicine department and New Boston Creative marketing agency in Manhattan.  
Features of the sports park include: Three softball fields, one premier baseball field, one dual use field, batting cages, bullpens, Musco Lighting, Daktronics scoreboard technology, wireless internet, shaded areas, meeting space, umpire locker room, ample parking, Imagination Playground and dedicated athletic training space.
Five KCAC baseball teams will compete in a double elimination tournament starting April 30. The tournament will conclude May 3 with the victor earning an automatic bid into the NAIA Baseball National Championship opening round.
Twenty yards away from the baseball tournament, eight KCAC softball teams will play up to 15 games during the conference tournament, scheduled for May 1 and 2. The winner of the conference tournament will earn automatic entry into the NAIA Softball National Championship opening round.
“We are looking forward to the excitement of collegiate level baseball and softball playing at the Great Bend Sports Complex,” Henderson said. “That Great Bend has the opportunity to host such a prestigious tournament is a credit to our community and all those involved.”
For the past three seasons, the KCAC baseball tournament was held at Hobart-Detter Field while softball was held at Fun Valley Softball Complex. Both venues are located in Hutchinson.
“The KCAC appreciates our time with the City of Hutchinson and looks forward to building a lasting relationship with the community of Great Bend,” stated Dr. Scott Crawford, KCAC commissioner.
Meanwhile, Great Bend Community Coordinator Christina Hayes is interested in finding collegiate alumni from the KCAC Team list to serve as community ambassadors for the teams while they spend the week in Great Bend. Anyone who is a graduate of a KCAC member institution may contact Hayes by calling 620-793-4111 or send email to chayes@greatbendks.net.
For more information on the overall tournament, contact Henderson at the GBRC office, 620-793-3755.
About the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Headquarter in Wichita, the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference oversees athletics for 10 member institutions: Bethany College (Lindsborg), Bethel College (North Newton), Friends University (Wichita), Kansas Wesleyan University (Salina), McPherson College (McPherson), Ottawa University (Ottawa), University of Saint Mary (Leavenworth), Southwestern College (Winfield), Sterling College (Sterling), and Tabor College (Hillsboro).  The KCAC is a member conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes.