After years of pouring rainouts, slippery turf and messy practices, the softball team received news that the softball field’s long- awaited renovation is in motion. Expected to be completed before the spring season begins, the construction aims to not only enhance safety by preventing hazards, but also elevate the overall game experience. To address the issue of slippery turf, the project will replace the existing natural turf with synthetic turf, along with an upgraded subsurface drainage system designed to improve the teams’ performances all year-round. The field will also include upgraded foul poles, outfield fencing, netting and stormwater infrastructure. Players are already looking forward to the change, with junior softball player Katie Fitzhugh noting the new precautions on the field.

“I think it will benefit (us) because our old field had many holes in the ground and we couldn’t play when it rained because the field would be flooded,” she said.

Softball team head coach Alan Lundberg is equally optimistic for a new injury-free season of smooth home runs.

“We’d absolutely love it,” he said. “I think it’s a great asset to us — having a good solid place for our pitchers to warm up.”