PIERCE, Neb. -- “Baseball all the way.” The words of Larry Hoefener ring true in the town of Pierce.

The town has one of the premier baseball facilities in the state, but that came with a huge price tag that the community needed to pay off.

That was all taken care of after a generous donation from Larry and Sue Hoefener. 

But it wasn’t money that this lifelong Pierce couple donated, not directly that is.

Larry has been a life-long baseball card collector. Over the years, Larry accumulated many cards to which overtime, gained value. 

“There’s been… pretty much everything up here has been donated labor or money, " Pierce Legion Head Baseball Coach Brian West said. “But yes, we did just have a large donor, Larry and Sue Hoefener. He had a rookie card that was worth a significant amount of money that he donated, so we will be naming the field after him.”

Larry’s collection included a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. Larry and Sue donated the card to the Pierce Baseball Backers, and it was sold to help pay for the baseball facility.

“It’s great, it’s an awesome situation- the field we named after Larry and Sue Hoefener," Baseball Backers Board Member Blaine Bockelman said. “It’s a very generous donation they gave us.”

Larry was a member of the Pierce 1960 state midget champion team. In 1964, Larry was also a member of the Pierce State Legion team that finished as runner-up. Hoefener said it was his lifelong ties with Pierce and his love for the game that fueled his generosity. 

“We’re really thankful for them,” Pierce Legion player Travis Emory said. “A lot of our money has just come from donors and just raising it ourselves. I mean, for a field like this in northeast Nebraska, for a small town of Pierce, we are very grateful.”

In return, the town of Pierce decided to dedicate the field to both Larry and Sue. Before the Pierce Senior Legion Team played their first game of the Class B state tournament, Larry and Sue took the field to be honored in front of the town. Larry got to throw out the first pitch. 

Larry and Sue Hoefener Field officially earned its name on Saturday, leaving the legacy of the Hoefener’s generous donation, forever.