Cass baseball facility receives recognition
The 2015 high school baseball season is still a few weeks away, but the facility at Cass High School has already received recognition. The Georgia Dugout Club selected the baseball field at Cass High School’s athletic complex its 2015 Class AAAAA Field of the Year. Coaches from all over the state nominate fields each November and a committee within the Georgia Dugout Club selects one Field of the Year for each classification. Cass head coach, Adam Williams, claims this distinction is a tribute to many. “Credit for this award goes to a lot of people,” noted Williams. “The past and current baseball boosters have painted, constructed features, laid sod, and constantly kept things clean and spruced up. It has truly been a group effort. They’ve not only put in a tremendous amount of energy and work, but they’ve raised money to fund it too.”
The Colonels’ coach found it difficult to narrow down features that makes the facility distinct. “I don’t know if there was one special feature about the field that helped it get noticed, but we host the Top 100 Showcase for the Dugout Club each year,” said Williams. “Members of their leadership get to see how our people take pride in the care of this facility and its amenities.”
Williams credits playing surface improvements to some community contributors. “Josh Morrow at Sod Atlanta Athletic Field helped us tremendously by laser grading the field. Plus, Clift Dempsey and his employees keep a pristine cut,” said Williams.
The Colonels’ skipper went on to thank a special volunteer member of the program’s field care crew.
“A lot of the behind the scenes detail work is done by my father, Ron Williams. He spends countless hours at the field taking care of every odd job imaginable. His attention to details, time, and effort truly make a difference,” added Williams. Recent improvements at the Colonels’ home diamond include backstop padding, new paint for the dugouts, wind screen additions, concrete sidewalks to the dugout and bullpen areas, and additional sodding outside the fencing of the field. Each of those items has added aesthetic appeal.
According to Williams, this year’s field distinction just fuels desire to keep improving the facility. Future goals include a project for the playing surface and one for the spectators. “We’d like to add a turf halo around home plate and eventually add stadium style bleachers. The plate halo would help protect against wear in that area and the seating would improve sight lines for our fans,” concluded Williams.
Cass High School will open its 2015 baseball campaign at home with a scrimmage against South Paulding on Friday, February 13 at 5:55pm. The Colonels’ regular season opener will also be at home on Tuesday, February 17 when the Gilmer Bobcats visit at 5:30pm.
