Wednesday evening, March 29, 2023, Poland’s Athletic Department held their first event at the newly built softball field located at Poland Seminary High School. It is the first time since 2007 Poland’s softball program has played on the high school campus. 

The game opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony by the Poland School Board. A cookout was provided by Poland All Sports Booster Club for attendees throughout the game. The first pitches were thrown by Poland Hall of Fame Coach, Reid Lamport, and Poland Hall of Fame pitcher, Erin Gabriel. 

Another first on this field was Senior Katie McDonald’s first inning home run.

McDonald exclaimed, “It was just fun having the first homerun on the new field, and fun being one of the first ones on the field.”

McDonald pitched all seven innings.

First base player and junior, Leanne Williams, commented on some of the benefits that come with their new field.

Williams said, “When we were on the old fields, we had to clean up after the tee ball kids. It’s nice to have our own field instead of sharing with the little kids.”

Poland Superintendent, Mr. Craig Hockenberry, expressed his gratitude for everyone that made the construction of the new field possible. The softball field returning to the high school campus provides proficiency for both the players and spectators.

The extra parking closer to the field makes it more efficient. An added benefit of the newly built field is having the softball and baseball fields in close proximity, allowing two games to be watched at once. All in all, the return of the softball field is an exciting progressment for Poland athletics. 

The game ended with a score of 8-2 against the Hubbard Eagles, a successful victory for the Poland girl’s softball in the memorable first game on the new field.