Players Refurbish Their Field of Dreams

COURT HOUSE – Sixteen Middle Township High School varsity baseball players spent their day off from school by polishing up a diamond in the rough.
According to Frank Dougherty, Middle Township’s assistant baseball coach, the field used by the high school players at the Davies Sports Complex was in bad shape.
“It (the field) has literally hundreds of games played on it each year,” he said. “And it takes a lot of abuse.”
In addition to serving as the baseball diamond for the school’s team, “Everybody in the township over the age of 13 plays ball on this field,” said the coach.
“We felt it needed to be done, it was awful,” he said. “We asked the township if we could provide the materials and the labor, could we redo the field? They said okay and they said they’d allow their public works department to help.”
With schools across the state closed for the New Jersey Education Association Convention, students had a two-day holiday. Dougherty planned for the renovation to take place Nov. 10 and 11.
“They’re going to get it all done today (Nov.10),” Dougherty told the Herald as the students laid sod on the foggy field.
Wielding hammers, hatchets and pallets the ballplayers, under the watchful eyes of public works employees Jim Collins and Paul Mahan, the students were adept in their work.
Dougherty said the field was in such poor condition it was becoming dangerous.
“It was a rough field to play on,” he said. “We had a few balls go in bad directions.”
According to Collins the field was last refurbished in 1998.
In just one day, the crew put in drainage and irrigation systems, peeled back the old grass and dirt, used topsoil to level the field and installed over17,000 square feet of sod.
The renovation cost the township nothing. Materials were either entirely donated or donated at cost by Exclusive Land Design of Court House and Bohm’s Sod of Eldora.
“What we had to pay was paid for by one of our parents, Craig Otton,” said Dougherty.
Finding labor was not a problem.
“Every guy on the team showed. We even had a girl show up!”
Shelia Collins, a freshman at the high school and daughter of Jim Collins, cooked everyone lunch.
“I helped my mom cook the food she said.”
“I think the fact that there are 25 guys here isn’t hurting,” Dougherty responded with a smile.
As the fog changed over to rain, the newly-minted landscapers finished theirwork.
“In the spring, we’ll finish the infield with fresh dirt,” the coach said. “This improves the baseball program. Not just for the school, but for all the kids in the township.”
Until then, the newly furbished field will sit empty, waiting for opening day and the crack a bat that announces a new season for the diamond.