Amarillo Sod Poodles announce downtown ballpark to be named 'Hodgetown'

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — The Amarillo Sod Poodles announced Thursday they have entered a ballpark naming-rights partnership, renaming the home of the Sod Poodles "Hodgetown."

According to a press release from the team, the brand "Hodgetown" encapsulates the idea of a common place for the community to gather from all areas throughout the Texas Panhandle. The new ballpark name recognizes and gives thanks to Jerry Hodge, who led the campaign to bring professional, affiliated baseball back to the community.

The ending of the name ties in the Prairie Dog roots with 'town', defined as a colony of burrows connecting to form one large community.

Hodge, who was recently named as the 2018 Amarillo Globe-News Man of the Year, is a family-man, pharmacist, businessman, civic leader, philanthropist and has resided in Amarillo for more than 60 years.

"We approached Jerry with this name because he shares the common interest of positively impacting our community and has proven so over the last 50 years," said Tony Ensor, President and General Manager of the Amarillo Sod Poodles. "This community, spearheaded by Jerry, had a dream of bringing not just baseball, but professional, affiliated baseball back to Amarillo and now that it has been brought to life, there is no better way to honor and recognize his hard work to make the dream come true than by including Jerry's name on our new home."

"When President & General Manager, Tony Ensor, first presented this name to us several months ago, Margaret and I were extremely surprised and also somewhat apprehensive," said Hodge. "But Tony made an excellent presentation and case for the name with his unyielding passion toward this ballpark and this community. We are very pleased and honored for our entire family!"

At age 23, Hodge purchased Maxor Drug, which is located in the downtown Fisk Building, and transformed it into Maxor National Pharmacy Services, a company that currently employs 450 people in Amarillo and 663 people nationwide. Then, at 34, he was elected as the youngest Mayor of Amarillo.

Hodge has also played a vital role in establishing the Texas Tech School of Pharmacy in Amarillo, served on the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and was instrumental in reshaping the historical Amarillo Club for future success as its doors were about to close after operating since 1947.

The naming-rights partnership will include countless promotional and community affiliations throughout the Panhandle. With Hodge and other founding partners, the team recently created the "Champions for Charity" program, which supports local charities with in-kind donations.

Hodgetown, located in downtown Amarillo, opens in April as the newest sports and entertainment destination in Amarillo, with state-of-the-art facilities and an unprecedented commitment to quality and service. It will feature a full range of programming that includes professional and affiliated baseball, as well as events such as high school and college games, concerts, themed-events and more.

The Sod Poodles will open the 2019 season on April 4 at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi where they will take on the Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros) for the first of four games. After that series, Amarillo will play its first game at Hodgetown on April 8 against the Midland Rockhounds (Oakland Athletics) for a three-game series. First pitch for the home opener is set for 7:05 p.m.

For ticket information, including season memberships and group hospitality options, call (806) 803-7762 or go to www.sodpoodles.com. Merchandise can be purchased at the team's temporary store at the downtown Embassy Suites in the left lobby or online on the team's website.