Jackrabbits, city go to court

Mayor says baseball, other activities will take place at stadium in 2025

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Jax is on life support. The Jackrabbits are comatose. The 2025 Northwoods League baseball season is dead in Kokomo. But that isn’t the end of it. No, there will be baseball in Kokomo Municipal Stadium this year, along with many other events, if Mayor Tyler Moore has a say about it.

The community is up in arms after the Jackrabbits announced earlier this month that the team would not compete in 2025 due to a legal battle between the city and Roc Ventures, the Jackrabbits’ ownership group. Because the matter has headed to court, the city was initially reluctant to discuss much. The Jackrabbits’ letter changed the city’s position.

Taking to social media, the Jackrabbits appealed to the people, obliquely laying blame at the city’s feet for the season’s cancellation. The team also announced the dissolution of the front office for the organization. For all intents and purposes, the Kokomo Jackrabbits currently exist only as a name and a decade of memories.

“As we’re writing this, this will be the front office’s final day with the organization as legal matters beyond our control continue to play out,” the letter read. “In what was supposed to be our 10-year anniversary this summer, filled with celebrations, throwbacks, fireworks, and more, Kokomo Municipal Stadium will now be without the crack of wooden bat this summer.

“While this necessarily doesn’t mean the end of the Jackrabbits, however as it stands, the future holds more questions than answers right now. As we’ve tried to simply push for one goal, ‘Baseball in Kokomo for 2025,’ unfortunately other parties would rather see the stadium remain empty.

“But legal matters have pushed it to the point that the Northwoods League and other teams must continue on, which we fully understand.”

From the city’s position, Moore explained that discussions with Roc Ventures were unsuccessful, and that they filed suit against the city. The city counter-filed in order to expedite arbitration in late 2024. Things didn’t work out as the administration had hoped.

“We wanted on a baseball schedule for 2025,” said Moore. “There had been discussions on what that might look like -- maybe an abbreviated extension of the agreement -- but the parties could not come to an agreement as to what that would look like.

“So, we hoped to get to arbitration and have a decision made by the first of December, opening the possibility of being on a baseball schedule. That deadline came and went for various reasons. So, that's where we are now.”

As reported by the Kokomo Lantern in October 2024, the city reached out to Michael Zimmerman’s ownership group, Roc Ventures, during the baseball season to discuss a new contract. That request received no response.

During that same timeframe an ownership group from Lafayette, Ind., allegedly toured Kokomo Municipal Stadium and expressed interest in starting a baseball team in Kokomo should the contract with Roc Ventures not be renewed.

Zimmerman told the Lantern in October that his verbal commitment to renewing the contract with the city was made in May 2024.

“We told them that we are renewing, and that we're also looking, potentially, to sell the team to a different operator,” said Zimmerman. “From our perspective, we gave our notice to renew.”

Zimmerman also alleged that capital improvements to the stadium were promised but not delivered by the city over the course of the previous contract. When the group received an order to vacate the stadium after the 2024 season, he was confused.

Told that the lease agreement required written notice in order to be renewed, Roc Ventures sent a written notice, but the city rejected it. Zimmerman did acknowledge that his group had failed to put a winning team on the field and had failed to market well enough to boost sagging attendance, but he expected his verbal commitment to be honored.

Moore said the city maintained a “strictly professional” relationship with Zimmerman and Roc Ventures, and that there wasn’t much communication between them.

“We relied on the local general manager to try to work within their expectations and our community's hopes and wants for the team and fan experience,” said Moore. “It never seemed to be on the same page. We provided an opportunity for a modified agreement to work through issues, but both sides couldn't come to an agreement as to what that truly should look like.”

While the legal skirmish continues, Moore expressed that Kokomo Municipal Stadium will not sit unused in 2025. In addition to hosting the Indiana University Cougars and the Kokomo High School Wildkats during their respective baseball seasons, he is tasking the Kokomo Parks and Recreation Department to develop programming for the venue.

“We can look at additional activities, camps, and such,” said Moore. “The idea has always been to start providing a concert or two, so we can look at that. We've had a few family movie nights. We just did the Wintertyme Village.

“People love being at the stadium, especially if there's going to be fireworks, so maybe family movie nights followed by some fireworks are possible.”

Programming like that was nearly impossible under the terms of the previous agreement, as Roc Ventures controlled the facility during the Jackrabbits’ season. Understandably, baseball dominated the stadium’s schedule. Without that restriction, Moore suggested that local youth baseball organizations, such as Kokomo Cubs or Bullpen, might bring selected games to the stadium.

Most of all, Moore hopes that whatever team eventually plays at Kokomo Municipal Stadium restores the baseball product to its former glory.

“Hopefully, there's a greater buy-in from team ownership to return to the type of play and fan experience that was originally brought to Kokomo,” said Moore. “We'll work with them to support them the best we can, and as we have in the last 10 years. We want the success of the team and best fan experience for our citizens they can get.”

Following is the full text of the letter from Kokomo Jackrabbits’ management.

We apologize for any lack of communication from our end these past few months as various unforeseen circumstances arose. However, it’s due to the circumstances and with heavy hearts that we have to announce the Kokomo Jackrabbits will not be playing this coming 2025 summer, and questions remain for the foreseeable future.

As we’re writing this, this will be the front office’s final day with the organization as legal matters beyond our control continue to play out. In what was supposed to be our 10-year anniversary this summer, filled with celebrations, throwbacks, fireworks, and more, Kokomo Municipal Stadium will now be without the crack of wooden bat this summer.

While this necessarily doesn’t mean the end of the Jackrabbits, however as it stands, the future holds more questions than answers right now. As we’ve tried to simply push for one goal, ‘Baseball in Kokomo for 2025,’ unfortunately other parties would rather see the stadium remain empty.

But legal matters have pushed it to the point that the Northwoods league and other teams must continue on, which we fully understand.

We want to thank every single season ticket holder that have been here since day one and came out every summer. You’ve become family to us, and the organization wouldn’t be here without your support.

To our host families who open their homes and hearts summer after summer to welcome in our players, you’re one of the biggest foundations of us as an organization. To our sponsors and groups, your continued commitment to your local community through bringing your employees out to games, bringing giveaways to excite fans, and associate your brand with the Jackrabbits has been fundamental in our success over these years and we couldn’t have done it without you.

To our seasonal staff and help, we know your commitment and work to helping us run as an organization goes way beyond what people see during games. Between ordering, organizing, cleaning, planning, and helping to execute each and every game day (and non), you’re what helps make us the Jackrabbits, and we will miss you this summer.

The Northwoods League schedule continues on this summer season, and we wish that you still show support for those teams and other local organizations. As we mentioned, unfortunately, there are too many questions as it stands for the foreseeable future of the Jackrabbits, but as of right now it isn’t goodbye. We hope it’s “we’ll see you soon.”