It’s a dream that started over 30 years ago. Springfield native, John Leep, began “Stevie’s World of Wiffle ball” in 1984 with the hopes of sharing his passion for America’s pastime with his newborn son, tournament namesake, Steve Leep. For 12 years, the tournament endured, donating over $20,000 to local Springfield charities serving the children of our community. Leep put down the yellow bat and wiffle ball in 1996 to focus on his growing family, and after a nearly 17 year hiatus, with the help and support from his son Steve, the tournament returned, with its inaugural season in 2014. 

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“This tournament is much more than a weekend of relieving the euphoric bliss of a backyard childhood game: this tournament is a means of cherishing family, cherishing friends, cherishing memories of times spent as a child, and wanting my own children, as well as the children of the Springfield community, to cherish a special memory of gripping that plastic yellow bat, focusing on that white ball floating to the plate, and knowing the joy that comes when they both connect. That moment- that special connection, that is what makes Stevie’s World of Wiffle ball much more than just a game.”

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Stevie’s World of Wiffle ball is a licensed, 501c, non-profit organization with many community businesses donating money, supplies, food, and other goods, as well as time and service, to ensure its existence.

 

It’s through the generous support of many events sponsors, that Stevie’s World of Wiffle ball boasts a unique wiffle ball experience, by replicating six signature fields for the participants to play on. 

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Stevie’s World of Wiffle ball is rapidly becoming an integral part of the Springfield community, as it rallies the people to support one another, and encourages active participation in an outdoor activity. They strive to do their very best to make the weekend a family friendly, engaging, and uplifting event that the entire community can enjoy. Stevie’s World of Wiffle ball strives to play a small role in bettering the community of our town, as well as continuously encouraging others to do for others as they would themselves.  

Leep says it best:

“Together, we make this weekend about much more than wiffle ball; we make this weekend about sharing our own love of the game, the joy that it brings us, the memories that we cherish from it, and most importantly, ensuring that the legacy of wiffle ball continues to inspire and bond our communities greatest generation, its youth.”

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While this isn’t Iowa, there is a “Field of Dreams” right here in Springfield.

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