New girls softball field proposed at Round Lake High
Round Lake High School's athletic director has pitched a plan for a new softball field that would give girls teams a place to play that's on par with the boys baseball diamond.
Girls have been using two fields for varsity and junior varsity games that officials say have drainage problems and sometimes result in home games being moved to other high schools after a rain. Another field has been classified as old and abandoned.
None of the three softball fields has access to water to groom batters boxes or the pitching mound. There also is no electricity for scoreboards at the three softball fields.
Under the $43,500 proposal, the dormant field would be transformed into a new girls softball diamond that would be used by varsity and junior varsity teams and Round Lake Unit District 116's two middle schools.
High school Athletic Director Michael Mizwicki said the new softball facility would be west of the boys baseball diamond. Along with a new field, there would be fencing, some tree removal and electrical and water hookups.
In a memo to District 116's board as part of a presentation last week, Mizwicki said parents of some softball players have expressed concern about the boys varsity diamond being "far superior" to the girls fields.
"You know, they're right," Mizwicki said Wednesday, referring to the concerned girls softball parents. "You can't compare the facilities (the girls) have. The baseball field is better."
Round Lake High's boys varsity baseball field is fully fenced, has an electronic scoreboard and concrete dugouts with roofs.
If it receives school board approval, the girls softball diamond would include a shorter-than-usual right-field line at 160 feet. Mizwicki, a higher fence would be built to make hitting more difficult.
Construction of the new softball field would be completed in the fall. Mizwicki said none of the three girls softball diamonds is considered suitable for varsity play, in part because of poor construction and a lack of upkeep.