Sparkling Diamond: HHS Softball Field Gets Rave Reviews

For years, the Hopatcong Chiefs softball team played its home games at Veterans Park, where outfielders would sink into the mushy soil and wildlife sometimes interrupted games.

Not any more.

On April 23, Hopatcong High School unveiled its new softball field, and athletic director Tom Vara said it's been nothing short of a success after its first season.

"Overall, it's been overwhelmingly positive," Vara said. "The town has been very supportive."

Former outfielder Sarah Cullen, a 2007 graduate, agreed.

"It's real nice," she said. "You had to play balls differently (at Veterans Park) because they died in the outfield."

Hopatcong softball coach Gary Widdoss wasn't available for comment.

Hopatcong High School officials wanted to use the land just outside the main office and adjacent to the Homer Dome baseball field, but weren't able to fund the project, which included renovating the land formerly used as a septic drain field.

Then Lakeside Construction owner Richie Hoer, a borough resident, stepped in, offering his services for free. Hoer's daughter, Vanessa, also played softball for the Chiefs and graduated in 2006.

"Without Richie Hoer, this project would never have moved forward," Vara said.

Vara estimated Hoer's company did "90 percent of the work," leaving the remainder to a fundraising group that pulled in approximately $18,000 in donations.

The field still has the brand-new look. Its black wire fences shimmer in the daylight—a contrast from the usual dull, gray metal fencing found at school fields. It's also got several new signs.

In addition, a Green Monster-like wall stands in right field, protecting the short porch. Vera said it's as much of homage to the Homer Dome's towering fences and small confines as it is a measure against power-hitting lefties.

"In high school, you're not going to get too many lefty power hitters," said Vara, who noted only two players—both visitors—went yard at the park last season, and both homers were to left field. "Most of your lefties are your slap hitters. It's 200 feet from the bottom of the fence. … That's a legitimate softball shot."

"I've had nothing but positive reviews."

Vara noted another selling point for the field: it'll also be used for physical education classes and by township recreation programs.

"Everybody who has used it or has seen it thinks it's been great," he said. "It makes it look aesthetically nicer when you pull up on campus. There are two varsity fields right next to each other.

"The naysayers said you couldn't put a softball field into there; it's not being enough, it won't work. We proved them wrong."