Neosho, Missouri first hosted minor league baseball in 1937, when the
Neosho Night Hawks became a member of the five–team
Arkansas–Missouri League, playing at Neosho High School Stadium. The Night Hawks finished the 1937 Arkansas–Missouri League regular season in fourth place with a 52–71 record, finishing 25.0 games behind the first place
Rogers Lions. Playing under Manager
Dennis Burns, Neosho lost to Rogers 3 games to 1 in the first round of the playoffs. In 1938, Neosho became an affiliate of the
New York Yankees and captured Arkansas–Missouri League pennant. The newly named
Neosho Yankees finished the regular season with a record of 73–42 under returning manager Dennis Burns. Neosho finished 5.5 games ahead of the second place
Carthage Pirates, who had just joined the six–team league. In the 1938 Playoffs, Neosho swept the
Rogers Reds in three games to advance to the Finals. In the Arkansas–Missouri League Finals, the Carthage Pirates defeated Neosho 4 games to 1.
Ralph Houk played for Neosho in 1939, in his first professional season. With a salary of $70.00 a month, Houk played well enough (.286) that Neosho hosted a "Ralph Houk Day" at the ballpark. In 1940, the four–team Arkansas–Missouri League permanently folded during the season, as Neosho played its final minor league season. The league folding became unavoidable after the Fayetteville Angels franchise folded due to poor attendance. On July 1, 1940, the league folded after hosting an All-Star game. At the time the league folded, the Neosho Yankees were in second place with a 27–29 record under manager Ed Grayston and were 10.5 games behind the first place Carthage Pirates. The Arkansas–Missouri League did not return to play in 1941. ==The ballpark==