Players and coaches have high hopes for the spring season with home field back
WILL DUMOND
The ELHS baseball field is getting a much needed renovation, and with it brings optimism for this upcoming spring.
Last season, the boys’ baseball team played home games at the Bridebrook baseball field, but many expressed their disapproval of the field. It seemed imminent that the high school fixed the field. Varsity baseball coach Jack Biggs said that the field would be grass once again for this renovation, because the turf option would cost too much. The renovation should be done by the end of November, according to Christian Lund, the director of
facilities in EL.
“We signed a contract with Liberty Landscapes of South Windsor, CT for $164,745 for the work on the field,” Mr. Lund said. The team is hopeful to play games there by the end of the season if the grass grows well this spring.
The beginning of this process is the sifting of the dirt, which will make sure that the good and bad soil is combined and “reinvented” to be used once again. This will help the drainage so that all water isn’t absorbed. After sifting,
the outfield will be dropped seven to twelve inches to give the water a place to run off.
“When it rains the night before a game or practice, we should be able to play there the next day,” Coach
Biggs said.
After this, the outfield will be leveled and laser graded. Then, the germination levels will be tested to see if the
grass will grow well for the field. After this, the field should be ready for play.
The team played at Bridebrook Park, which is a bigger field than the one at the high school. The field is regularly maintained, but the team had to waste gas and the feeling wasn’t the same as playing at home. For this reason the whole team- coaches and players are excited for the home field coming back. The players for the varsity team have
expressed their excitement for the new outfield and being able to play at home later into the season.
“It’s where you got to show up. There’s nothing like a nice home game with all your fans behind you,” senior pitcher Jace Lillie said.
The team also likes to have the field accessible to the EL Little League so they can watch the games. This is important so that the younger players can enjoy the high school team they might play on someday. But more
than anything, it reunites a community of people who have a love of the game and a love of the town in one place.
“A home field is that one place where you put in a lot of time and effort,” senior outfielder Julian Baez said. “You get a whole home community.”
