“There’s not too many things that will get me out of bed early on a cold, windy Saturday morning, but being a part of a project that will forever change the baseball program is one of them. Being able to be a part of something so big for our school, like our district championship last year, was so exciting for my teammates and I. This upgrade will be around for the next generation of baseball players at Delone Catholic,” says catcher Brodie Collins ‘23.
The reigning 2022 PIAA District 3 2A Baseball Delone Catholic Squires required an upgrade to the antiquated backstop. While the existing fence and net held up for many years, it was time to make some changes for the safety of both the players and the fans.
A trip down memory lane with former Squire Athletic Director, baseball coach and baseball player Tom Staub '58, provided some history about the baseball fields. Staub remembers playing his freshman year at the fields in Brushtown because Delone Catholic didn't have a field at the time. The current Delone Catholic baseball field was constructed in 1956. Staub also recalls that in the early 1980s, improvements were made to the field, including taking out the grass and replacing it with soil. At that time, the original backstop was moved closer to the new field of play but not replaced. Therefore, it is likely the backstop was original to the 1956 construction.
Players, coaches, and fans can all agree that teamwork led to the success of the Squires historic district and state playoff run in the spring of 2022. The construction and engineering feat of replacing the 1956 backstop relied on that same teamwork. Countless volunteers worked together, planned, and built the new dugout, which features a stone wall stretching from the home dugout to the visitor’s dugout. The wall will be a base for a 40-foot-tall net equally long. The design and aesthetics will make our baseball field one of the top high school baseball venues in the surrounding area.
The Athletic Association and baseball team would like to thank our volunteers for the many weekends they spent planning and working on this project. We cannot thank them enough for the time, talent, and treasure it required to complete this job. High fives to the following local businesses, donors, alumni, and coaches:
- Conewago Contractors, Inc.
- Conewago Enterprises, Inc.
- Gettle, Inc.
- Home Association of McSherrystown
- Knights of Columbus Council 2551
- K of C Ladies Auxiliary
- The McSherrystown K
- Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge No. 720
- Coach Jimmy Smith ‘82
- Coach Frank ‘67 and Missy ‘72 Felix
- Coach Tom Collins
- Gabe Baran ‘96
- Tom Brodie ‘96
- Bobby Dettinburn ‘91
- Jason Giraffa ‘90
- Brian Gruver
- Curtis Smith ‘78
- Kevin Smith ‘93
- Joe Smith ‘89
Written by: Brodie Collins '23