Baseball Groups Pitch In $2K for Field Safety

The Jefferson Township Stadium Turf for Athletics and Recreation (STAR) committee and Jefferson Township Babe Ruth organization are both donating money to improve safety at the high school baseball field, Superintendent Joseph Kraemer said.

The STAR committee, which raises funds for turf fields and other local athletic facility amenities, is donating $1,000 for fencing to protect the press box behind the backstop.

“If you’re in the press box, there’s no protection from foul balls,” Kraemer said. “They’re going to nail a cameraman, announcer or coach. So we wanted to get some fencing work up there.”

Kraemer had announced during the March 25 meeting that the committee was donating about $800 but explained Monday that it had decided to kick in the extra money.

The superintendent said the Babe Ruth league is giving $1,150 for netting to protect batted balls from causing injuries.

“Hopefully, this will prevent a few windshields from getting cracked,” he said.

Board member Frank Cuccio praised both donations and singled out the work of the STAR committee, stating that they are about “more than just the turf of the football field.”

Cuccio cited the recent donation the committee made to improve the sound system at the middle school gym for the weight and wrestling room.

The STAR committee and Babe Ruth organization also previously joined forces in April 2012 with the township’s booster club to donate $13,200 for baseball and football storage and an announcer building.