City, university collaboration leads to expanded vision with Shawnee State's acquisition of Spartan Stadium, Branch Rickey Park, adjacent land

Monday, July 15 proved to be a historic day for both the City of Portsmouth and Shawnee State University. After passing two previous readings unanimously, the Portsmouth City Council passed the third and final reading of legislation in unanimous fashion, which officially starts the ball on transferring the properties at Spartan Stadium, Branch Rickey Park and adjacent properties that ultimately amount to 23 acres altogether, to SSU in another electrifying vision that the city, community and Shawnee State University all came together on.

Gerald Cadogan's experiences with Spartan Stadium, in particular, are special as a whole. From his time playing at Spartan Stadium as a standout offensive lineman for Portsmouth, which went 39-11 during his four seasons with the Trojans — and accumulated a 19-3 overall record at the historic venue — the facility, today, represents not only exceptional history of years past, but holds with it exceptional history that can be made in the future.

"This is a full-circle moment for me," Cadogan said. "My athletic career started at Spartan Stadium with memories of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears poured in to practices and two-a-days to win games as a Portsmouth High School athlete. The ability for our student athletes to have a stadium of their own, along with a baseball and softball field, enables our coaches continue to go and recruit high level athletes to come to Portsmouth, Ohio and play in historic stadiums. We are definitely excited about this expansion."

In all, the complex will serve as a future home for SSU varsity team sports, intramural programs, student recreation, as well as for community youth leagues, tournaments, and camps. The initial concept envisions new or upgraded fields for baseball, softball, soccer, and track and field that can be used year-round, day and night.

Significant past — and promising future

The project also serves as an investment into the East End of Portsmouth — and investments into facilities that have seen some of the greatest athletes take part in some of the city's greatest memories. Cadogan, College Football Hall of Famer Chuck Ealey, who played at Notre Dame High School and led the Titans to the first of its two Ohio AP State Championships in 1967, and well-known standouts Dutch Clark and Glenn Presnell, all played at Spartan Stadium for multiple seasons — among many other well-respected figures.

Branch Rickey Park, meanwhile, has had a who's-who of some of the greatest baseball talent to ever play at the facility. Multi-time All-Stars Larry Hisle, Al Oliver and Don Gullett appeared at the facility, as did Gene Tenace, among many established baseball talents that have come through.

The excitement of having such historic property, especially considering the memories at both facilities, is terrific.

However, the acquisition of the community staples and the adjacent 23 acres of land is more than simply celebrating past history. It's also about creating additional memories that the City of Portsmouth, as well as Shawnee State University, can also be proud of in the future.

The leadership of Shawnee State baseball head coach Rob Ehlers, Shawnee State softball head coach Kristen Bradshaw, and Shawnee State cross-country and track and field director Conner Flynn have the Bears well-positioned to do just that in the coming years.

This past season, the Shawnee State baseball program improved from 8-37 during the 2023 season, the year prior to Ehlers' arrival, to a 26-21 record in 2024 in Ehlers' first season as a head coach. During that stretch of time, Ehlers led Shawnee State to 12 consecutive victories, the most-ever in program history, and had two players finish with batting averages of .388 or better. The result was Shawnee State's first winning season in 10 years, and its most wins in 10 seasons as well, which made Ehlers an easy choice for River States Conference Coach of the Year honors.

Dovetailing that success on the softball side, Bradshaw made her first season at Shawnee State one of the most memorable in program history regardless of year, as the Shawnee State softball program won the River States Conference's East Division Championship, its first conference title of any kind since 2010. The Bears, who went 36-11, won 13 games by mercy rule and 10 others by coming from behind, finished the year by posting three walkoff victories in less than a week's time, ultimately advanced to the River States Conference Championship Series. Like Ehlers, Bradshaw was an easy choice as the River States Conference's Coach of the Year.

It served as Shawnee State's most wins in 25 years, and as a result, a total of eight players were named as All-River States Conference honorees, the third-most in program history, thanks to Bradshaw and a committed staff that included assistant coaches Carrie Kyne and Jenna Jones.

Flynn, himself, established a winning penchant. Also in his first season at Shawnee State, the 2019 Shawnee State alum, along with dedicated first-year assistant Dean Freitag, proceeded to lead the Shawnee State men's cross country and track and field program to its highest ranking ever in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association-NAIA Track and Field and Cross Country Program of the Year rundown, placing 13th in the NAIA to complete a fantastic year. SSU also won the River States Conference Men's Cross Country Championship, the program's eighth consecutive title.

When one dovetails the above successes with women's soccer, who made its second appearance in a conference semifinal appearance in program history this past season by winning eight out of its last 11 games, and men's soccer, who has gone 16-14-4 the past two seasons and accumulated its first winning season in program history in 2022 — all with both programs nabbing GPAs above 3.1 themselves — the success of the athletic department, as a whole, is trending upward — which makes Shawnee State's and the City of Portsmouth's collaboration on this massive project all the more special for what can be built heading into the future.

Reaction and expectations

In a letter written to express his appreciation for the passing of the legislation, Shawnee State University President Eric Braun thanked the city for their support of Shawnee State's vision and development of what is to come, calling the dialogue between SSU and city leaders "positive, cooperative, and frankly, very encouraging."

"I appreciate City Council's due diligence in considering this property transfer," Braun said. "Members asked hard questions about the impact the transfer would have on the City's future land needs and imparted a responsibility that the university make investments to improve the property for the betterment of the City. We take that responsibility seriously. We are all sentimental about the existing stadiums. The best way to honor their history is to put them into current use.

“We will work with the SSU Center for Public History to maintain historically significant elements and develop opportunities for features to be displayed for users and tourists. We will also modernize structures and spaces so that they can be looked upon by the City of Portsmouth with the same sense of pride in 2030 that they had in 1930. This project will be transformational for both Shawnee State University and the City of Portsmouth. Together, with the generational investments underway at the Portsmouth riverfront, the City and its residents will enjoy a fundamentally improved downtown in the years to come."
 
When approached about the possibility of the acquisition for the first time, Cadogan's reaction was "pure excitement."
 
"I know what these stadiums will allow Shawnee State to do as far as expansion, and ensure we get top level athletes here in Portsmouth, Ohio," Cadogan said. "Additionally, it is an investment into the development of the East End of Portsmouth. It also speaks to the collaboration and partnership that the university and the city of Portsmouth has, which is key to move Portsmouth forward as a whole."
 
As for future plans, constructing a softball facility on the newly acquired property will be the first step in building toward the site's history — but it will be far from the last step.
 
"I am particularly grateful for the leadership of Mayor Charlotte Gordon, who made gracious public statements in favor of the transfer prior to votes on the legislation," Braun said. "I share Mayor Gordon's enthusiasm for the new softball stadium as the site's first major project, as it will highlight women's sports as an area of strength for our region. The overarching objective of this project is to develop world-class facilities that will make Portsmouth an attractive destination to keep talented southern Ohioans in southern Ohio. Thank you sincerely to Portsmouth City Council, city officials and staff, and to the citizens of Portsmouth, who examined the opportunities that this property presents and chose boldly to move us forward together."
 
"Acquiring this land means that Shawnee State can not only expand our athletic department," Cadogan said, "but also give back to the community with making the investments and renovations into Spartan Stadium, Branch Rickey Park, and building a softball stadium, not only for the growth of our athletic department, but also, to invest in the future athletes of this community by conducting youth camps and leagues."
 
Fourth Ward City Councilwoman and City of Portsmouth Vice Mayor Lyvette Mosley's quote says it all.
 
"Working together," Mosley said, "we are better people and a better community."
 
For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com or visit the Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages at https://twitter.com/SSUBears, https://www.facebook.com/SSUBears, https://www.instagram.com/ssubears/?hl=en and https://www.youtube.com/@ssubearsathletics/videos. For more information on how to join the SSU Bear Club or for sponsorship of specific SSU players or events, visit https://givetossu.com/ bear-club and https://givetossu.com/sponsorthebears.

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.