Donovan Harns grew up watching baseball as a fan inside Joe Becker Stadium. He also played in games there. He’s even been a coach at the stadium. In the summer of 2026, he started a new role at the Joplin ballpark.
He became the general manager of the first-year collegiate summer team, the Joplin Jailbirds. He and the team hoisted the MINK League trophy July 31 to cap a memorable first season as an organization.
Could it have gone much better?
“In my eyes, no, it couldn’t have,” Harns said.
When asked if he was ready for the 2027 summer, Harns said, “Ready for next year. Let’s do it.”
The success, the picture-perfect season and the excitement for another round of being a general manager doesn’t mean that it was easy or stress-free.
In fact, the stress was mounting June 1 ahead of the home opener for Harns and the Jailbirds. He recalls being worried about the first game and all the moving parts to hosting a game, like ticket sales and concession stand duties. He described the night before the first home game as a “mental breakdown.”
“I was kind of worried and just kind of put everything up to God. … Two hours before the game started on June 2, I was like, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’” Harns said. “I’m so glad for how everything went this season and in the MINK itself.”
Harns said more than 1,000 people were in attendance for that home opener. The crowds weren’t that big nightly, but the Joplin faithful also showed up again for the championship game.
“It was a great crowd. We were over 600 people, so that was awesome. That’s kind of where I thought our peak could be or where I wanted it to be,” Harns said.
Joe Becker immediately began some remodels as the field was being updated after the championship win for the Jailbirds. Harns went out on a winning note and won a title on that turf one last time.
“We are the last game here (before remodels), and to end on a win is very big for me personally. From someone that’s watched games here, played games here and now to be the general manager of a team that plays on this field has been really cool to see. A full-circle moment for me,” Harns said.
More than baseball
The historic park that hosted Hall of Famers such as Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog is known for all of its baseball glory, but in this new era of leadership, the Jailbirds want the park to be able to invite in all walks of life, not just fellow baseball gurus.
“We also want Joe Becker to be a place where it isn’t just a baseball field. We want it to be a community event center,” Harns said. “There’s going to be other things here than just baseball. We love baseball, obviously, but we want this to be a park that all the community sees even if they aren’t baseball fans.”
A concert is coming to Joe Becker on Friday, Oct. 2. Taylorville, an unofficial tribute band, will come to Joplin to perform a Taylor Swift-esque concert.
Harns says to expect more events in the future as well. He spoke specifically about trying to have a movie night at the park soon.
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