BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — The city of Biloxi is investing in youth sports programs by pouring millions of dollars into renovations and upgrades at the A.J. Holloway Sports Complex — $5.16 million, to be exact.
The long-awaited completion of the upgrades made families even more excited to be a part of the ribbon cuttings, opening ceremonies, and first pitches.
RELATED: A.J. Holloway Sports Complex renovations nearing completion
The first “Play ball!” rang through the facilities along with cheers from the crowd on Saturday.
Young athletes from several different teams and age groups began practicing on the turf fields, which were surrounded by new grass and LED lighting.
“It feels like I’m kind of like a professional. I never really play on turf,” Handley Kirk said.
Kirk plays for Killer Bee Bait with his friends. He’s been involved with baseball since he was five years old. After seeing the changes made to the facility, he says it feels like a step toward his dreams of playing for the Biloxi Shuckers.
“But this is where it starts, and I just know that I have to do my best to keep on improving.”
Families packed into the bleachers, taking advantage of upgrades like increased parking and viewing drainage, which will mean fewer rained-out games.
Biloxi Shuckers Ambassador Barry Lyons says the benefits of projects like this outweigh the cost.
“Sometimes we don’t look at that from the big picture and that’s something that I’m here to remind people about, the big picture. This is for the kids, this is for the community, this is for the benefit of all,” Lyons says.
“This was years of work that’s tedious and it seems like forever, but it’s here right now!” Biloxi Mayor FoFo Gilich exclaimed.
RELATED: Construction at AJ Holloway Sports Complex pushes youth baseball, softball to other fields
2023 was when contractors first tackled the large project. The unveiling on Saturday represents years of work and the future of sports for young athletes in the area.
The 68-acre site is located on Wells Drive.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2025 WLOX. All rights reserved.
