“It’s a great spot, with good visibility to both Interstate 35 and Loop 340,” Thomas said. “The baseball folks are also really excited about that area, and the potential it has.”

Mark Schuster is a managing partner with Ventura Sports Group and president of the SWL. He said that the Waco market has been on the radar for him and his investors since 2009. But in the past 18 months, as the SWL has taken shape, Schuster has had a number of meetings with Bellmead officials about building the ballpark there.

“We knew that the Waco market was one we had to be in,” Schuster said. “Just based on the demographics, the makeup of the league and what we wanted to accomplish. It certainly fit in geographically. … As we started meeting with Bo and talking about the project and seeing the excitement that the City of Bellmead had, it really came together pretty quickly.”

Schuster said the SWL will consist of independent teams in six Texas cities that currently lack professional baseball. The league plans to announce the other cities in the coming weeks.