Since the spring season began, a major addition has been made to the baseball field.
John Carroll’s baseball program has been gifted new lights from The Kutcher Foundation. If all goes as planned, the lights should be fully functional this spring season.
The baseball field has been renovated the last few years and has changed to be the current turf field seen today.
President Steve DiBiagio said, “We work with the help of generous donors. The Kutcher Foundation is very interested in computer science and baseball.”
These lights are not like JC’s other field lights. They are specific for baseball, allowing the fielders to see the ball easily. Mr. DiBiagio said, “These lights are completely different, specific for baseball. They are the latest technology; you won’t see these lights at other high schools.”
Varsity Baseball Coach Darrion Siler said, “The new lights are a game-changer. They allow us to schedule evening games, which means more flexibility for our players and better opportunities for families and fans to attend.”
The lights benefit the baseball team’s practices greatly. Mr. Siler said, “It allows us to maximize reps, work on situational drills, and ensure our players get the development time they need.”
Sophomore Corey Anderson said, “I think the lights will benefit us by being helpful at night.”
Other uses of the baseball field include Men’s League Teams, local youth teams, club baseball programs and tournaments.
Not only will this impact the baseball program, but the school community overall. Being the first view pulling into school each day, it has a great impact on the campus view.
Mr. DiBiagio said, “It’s important to us the campus is part of the Patriot experience. We want all the spaces to encourage our students to connect and participate. It communicates progress, care for our students, and a very positive experience for our students.”
Mr. DiBiagio added, “[The lights] also have a celebration package. For the Festival of Lights, we can light them red and green for Christmas. They give us lots of options to make the campus attractive. . . We would like to involve Friday Night Lights, like our fall sport teams — sticking with the saying, ‘Come early and stay late.’”