Pittsburgh Group Starts Fundraising Drive For Baseball Complex

PITTSBURGH, PA — Think bricks for baseballs.

The Greenfield Baseball Association certainly is doing so. The organization has embarked on a fundraising effort to build an indoor training facility at Hammer Field to provide year-round practice spaces for young baseball players. and is selling commemorative bricks to hep pay for the ambitious project.

"We just want to see city kids have the same accessibility that the suburban kids have in this area," association president Mike Terlecki told Patch.

The facility will be a steel-frame structure large enough to hold three lanes of batting cages - two for hitters and one for pitchers and catchers. The space will provide year-round warm-up places for pitchers and hitters - even in inclement weather.

The organization has taken $15,000of its own money to launch the drive and has begun raising funds for the additional $45,000 that is needed. The association is selling engraved commemorative bricks that will be placed at Hammer Field.

The prices are $500 for a 12-by-12-inch brick or $125 for a 4-by-8-inch brick.

Terlecki said that widespread community support would not be a surprise for the project. Nor would a brick or donation from Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, a Greenfield native who still frequently supports the neighborhood through various donations.

"This is a community that really rallies around each other. Always has been," Terlecki said. "It's great to be a part of."