When the 16 high school softball teams converge on St. Joseph tonight and Friday, they’ll find an operation that’s getting practiced at hosting championships.

The Missouri State High School Activities Association’s State Softball Championships, which start with a social tonight and semifinals on Friday, are part of a string of events the city has recruited since opening Heritage Park Softball Complex.

“We’ve done it enough, and done it well enough in the past, that we have a pretty good operation down,” said Mike Halloran, parks department senior recreation supervisor. “It goes pretty smoothly now with lots of volunteers from the local high schools and a wonderful grounds crew.”

The softball tournament is expected to bring in about $500,000 to the community over the weekend. That includes restaurant, shopping and hotel rooms, said Lindsay Bernard, the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau sales manager in charge of sports marketing.

About 1,000 people are expected to attend. And most hotels are booked solid enough that the visitors bureau said some fans probably will have to stay in nearby cities like Cameron and Platte City.

“The community really embraces the event,” Bernard said. “And I think the schools, players and fans really appreciate the atmosphere.”

It’s the second year St. Joseph has hosted the event. Because of MSHSAA rules, a community gets the contract for two years and then must wait two years before bidding again.

St. Joseph already plans to bid as soon as it’s eligible again, and the city hopes to expand its high school championship connection. When the bid comes open again, the city plans to also apply to host the high school baseball championships.

The city bid last time it was open,, but that was before the St. Joseph Mustangs started their operation and prior to completion of the large renovation project at Phil Welch Stadium.

Halloran said MSHSAA officials recently visited and again toured Phil Welch Stadium, getting the chance to see the finished improvements.

“I think the condition of the stadium before the improvements, that was the biggest holdup for them the last time we bid,” Halloran said. “I think they wanted to see the finished product.

“Now that they’ve seen the improvements and the quality and success of the Mustangs, I think there’s a great possibility that we’ll at least be one of the top contenders to host it next time around.”

It’s just one more piece in the city’s sports recruitment efforts. After building Heritage Park in 2002, the city’s hosted numerous national-profile softball tournaments along with the high school championships.

“This is a great location with great facilities, and it’s an affordable city,” Halloran said. “You don’t have to spend $150 a night for a hotel room when you come here. And the community really gets behind these events.”

Sports editor Scott Pummell can be reached

at scottp@npgco.com