Augusta Unbiased College has partnered with the Cincinnati Reds Neighborhood Fund and St. Elizabeth to revamp the historic Augusta baseball discipline, house of the Augusta Panthers and Woman Panthers.
The sector has seen plenty of use over the many years because it was constructed, being the first discipline for Augusta Unbiased College for years, internet hosting numerous little league video games and highschool tournaments. The Augusta discipline was the location for the 2023 thirty ninth district softball event, during which the Bracken County Woman Bears got here out on prime.
In response to Augusta Unbiased College Principal, and Augusta Panthers head coach Robin Kelsch, the sector has seen much more use throughout the previous ten years.
Followers who’ve travelled to Augusta to look at both the Panthers, Woman Panthers or considered one of their opponents know simply in addition to the coaches and athletes do, the sector is lengthy overdue for renovation. The sector is liable to flooding, which has led to video games being pushed again and even cancelled, practices moved round and general frustration from coaches and athletes alike.
Augusta additionally has no official bullpens for pitchers to heat up. Within the yard across the discipline, they do have mounds positioned, however with neighborhood youngsters typically utilizing them as playgrounds, the pitchers hardly ever get to heat up correctly. Dugouts are additionally a spot of curiosity for renovation, with the wood constructions and chain hyperlink fence surrounding them coming aside after years of use.
The Reds Neighborhood Fund and St. Elizabeth have helped sponsor renovations for round eleven different ball fields within the larger Cincinnati space.
Augusta’s new discipline will likely be an artificial turf discipline, to alleviate points with flooding. The turf discipline may also permit for tools to be simply moved round, to accommodate each baseball and softball video games and never restrict the sector to make use of for one of many different. Charlie Frank, head of the Reds Neighborhood Fund, mentioned {that a} turf discipline will permit the groups to make the most of the sector extra typically as a result of lack of flooding, and will likely be a chance for the neighborhood to return collectively.
New dugouts, a scoreboard, batting cages, bullpens, a concessions stand and bleacher shelters are all additionally deliberate for development.
Every of those constructions, though not precisely required for a sport to happen, are crucial for the expertise of a baseball or softball sport. Augusta superintendent Lisa McCane mentioned the sector is not going to solely be useful to Augusta athletes, however will have an effect on the area as an entire.
In response to Augusta Panthers co-head coach, Craig Miller, each St. Elizabeth and the Reds Neighborhood Fund are targeted on enhancing decrease financial communities and faculty districts, by way of serving to youth sports activities, whereas additionally “elevating well being initiatives for youngsters.”
McCane mentioned that Reds Neighborhood Fund chief Charlie Frank got here to see the Augusta ball discipline and famous that it was good for neighborhood fund use.
Each the AISD and the Reds Neighborhood Fund started negotiations in 2022. The whole undertaking is estimated to value round $500,000, the Reds Neighborhood Fund and St. Elizabeth Healthcare have pledged dedicated $200,000 with AISD and the Metropolis of Augusta overseeing elevating the remaining $300,000.
AISD is accepting any and all donations to assist transfer the undertaking ahead, with premier sponsorships together with discipline naming rights at $100,000, the batting cage at $50,000, dugouts at $25,000 every, the scoreboard at $20,000, the concessions constructing at $15,000, bleacher shelters at $10,000 every and the bullpens at $7,500 every.
Augusta is hoping to find the money for raised and pledged by the top of July, to proceed with development. A gap day ceremony is anticipated to happen within the spring of 2024.