The Easton Baseball League has rounded third and crossed home plate on its newly renovated 50/70 Majors field for eligible fifth, sixth and seventh graders playing in the Cal Ripken youth baseball league. Located at 650 Morehouse Road, the field—which measures 70 feet from home plate to first base, and 50 feet from home plate to the pitcher’s mound—is an exciting new addition to Easton’s youth baseball community.
Although Covid-19 extended the timeline of the project, planning for the field renovation started long before the pandemic. “The Easton Baseball Board began planning for a new 50/70 baseball field five to six years ago,” said Rob McDermott, president of the Easton Baseball League. “We began to fundraise for this project a year and a half ago and decided as a group that we would utilize the field that was in existence behind Easton Country Day school and greatly enhance it.”
Danielle Alves, Easton Park and Recreation Department director, worked closely with Easton Baseball on the renovations, and is excited to share all of the upgrades the new field has to offer.
“Easton Baseball recently did a huge fencing upgrade at the 50/70 field, including a double-sided batting cage, solar-powered scoreboard, and final touches of bleachers as well as turf,” said Alves.
Although the renovation was several years in the making, McDermott says the results were definitely worth the wait for Easton baseball families. “As a baseball community, we feel that this field is going to be so important to our players,” said McDermott. “As our children come up through our league, they will look forward not only to playing at our great Field of Dreams field at Staples, but to our new 50/70 baseball facility as well.”
Although the new and improved field has been open for several weeks, Covid protocols and guidelines have still remained in the forefront as the Easton youth baseball program continues to emphasize safety so that everyone can enjoy the new field together. “We have continued to follow the Connecticut Youth Sports Covid Guidelines, and at the start of the season dugouts and spectator stands remained closed,” said McDermott.
Initially, the new 50/70 field was available only for practices but was able to schedule games by mid-May as Covid conditions have improved and the guidelines have been adjusted, according to McDermott.
“The process for putting this plan in motion had many moving parts, on our end, many board members past and current were involved in seeing this through as well as we have collaborated with town agencies, particularly our great Easton Park and Recreation partner,” McDermott said. “Danielle Alves and her team were very helpful in this process and their importance in this field getting built should be noted, as well as their importance to our town.”
It was “all hands on deck” throughout the renovation process, and McDermott expressed his gratitude for all the support he received from his fellow volunteers. “All past and present Easton Baseball League board members should be congratulated on their hard work and in particular past President Kerry Caylor,” McDermott said. “Kerry has been instrumental in this process and even after stepping down from his role as president has seen this through and taken this to the goal line.”
McDermott is most impressed by the overwhelming support the project received from the Easton families during renovations and is hopeful that the community enjoys the new addition. “The baseball community has been very supportive of this project and now that we have the field complete, and our community reads this article, we hope folks come and enjoy the new field this summer,” said McDermott. For now, “games will be played on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings throughout the spring.”
Now that the improved 50/70 field project is completed, the Park and Recreation Department will focus on its next field renovation project, Alves said.
“Our department will be renovating the infield at Easton Country Day’s [46/60 Minors] field in June most likely, and that is part of Easton Park and Recreation’s five-year baseball infield renovation plan,” said Alves. “We rotate the work on the ball fields each year so we can make sure they are safe for play and looking great.”
For more information regarding Easton Baseball visit http://eastonbaseballleague.website.sportssignup.com/.
