Concerns about home run derby at Lake Zurich High
Lake Zurich Unit District 95 board members say they aren't thrilled with the possibility of frequent home runs sailing out of the refurbished high school girls softball field.
Board members contend the current distance of 185 feet from home plate to the outfield fence in left, center and right fields at Lake Zurich High School is too short. District 95 board President Doug Goldberg said during a meeting last week it used to be about 215 feet in some places.
Installation of a taller fence before varsity softball season starts in the spring was one idea that surfaced at the meeting. The field meets a minimum recommendation of 185 feet to the outfield wall that's followed by the Illinois High School Association.
"It'll be an interesting year to see what happens," District 95 board member Kathy Brown said. "Some girls will be thrilled. Some of these girls might be hitting home runs every other game. We'll see."
Brown sparked the conversation about the distance to the outfield fence while Facilities Director Lyle Erstad gave a presentation about a $2.4 million package of improvements for Lake Zurich High School's football stadium complex. The work included new stadium bleachers and regrading of the girls varsity softball diamond to eliminate a left field hill, along with adding new dugouts.
In response to a query by Goldberg on the possibility of moving the fence back 10 to 15 feet, Erstad said it would not be easy.
"The difficulty is that along the first-base line, you're running into the baseball outfield," he said. "At that point, we won't get any longer than 185 (feet). The reason was why (the fence) was brought in is ... to be able to take that hill out of play. That has been regraded and leveled. Whether we can get distance out of that, we would have to investigate that and see if that is a possibility."
Erstad added a taller fence could be a possibility.
Illinois High School Association spokesman Matt Troha said Monday that girls softball diamonds typically are 200 feet to left, center and right. However, he said, Lake Zurich's 185 feet meets the recommended minimum distance established by the National Federation of State High School Associations that is used by the Illinois organization.
"If you go around the state, you'll find a lot that are 185 (feet)," said Troha, who previously oversaw girls softball for the IHSA.
District 95 board members cited Barrington and Mundelein high schools as having shorter distances to the outfield fence. Lake Zurich would be similar to Mundelein High's softball field.
Mundelein High Athletic Director Perry Wilhelm said it's 185 feet from home to all parts of the outfield fence at his school. However, an 8-foot fence was installed in an effort to prevent an excessive number of home runs from being hit.
"We do get our share (of homers). The west wind really helps that, too," Wilhelm said.
At Barrington High School, the varsity softball field is 195 feet from home plate to the fence in all fields, Athletic Director Mike Obsuszt said.
District 95 board member Eileen Maloney offered an on-field solution to the short fence at Lake Zurich High.
"You just have to have really good pitching," she said.