By RICHIE HALL
Hazel Dell Elementary School has itself another baseball field.
A new junior varsity field has been constructed right next to Don Dunker Field. The JV field, a turf facility, saw its first action last week when games from a tournament hosted by Bullpen Tournaments were played. The new field is a partnership between Noblesville Schools and Bullpen.
Dr. David Mundy, Associate Superintendent of Noblesville Schools, is pleased with the new field, construction of which had to wait out a couple months of rainy weather. The field was to have opened in April, but finally got to see its first action in early June.
“So we were a couple months delayed, but obviously we can’t control Mother Nature,” said Mundy.
The Bullpen tournament played on the new field was in collaboration with Grand Park, another partner in the new field. Yet more rain fell during the week, but Mundy said that allowed everyone to see how affected the field would be. And it turned out to be fine: A storm passed through, but players were able to get back on the field 20 to 25 minutes after the rain ended, and the field was playable.
“It drained perfectly,” said Mundy.
The new JV field is located on the old Noblesville High School varsity soccer field, so a drainage system was already in place.
“Due to the fact there were old drainage tiles, we were able to utilize those,” said Mundy. Crider and Crider, a construction company, also assisted with the project, helping to develop a system that allows for very quick drainage of the turf field. Mundy noted there was a small water retention area next to the field, and the water ran right into the area.
Once next year’s high school spring sports season rolls around, the Millers will have priority over the field. That includes junior varsity games. Mundy noted that Noblesville was the only baseball program in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference that didn’t have two baseball fields, so having the new field will help out with scheduling JV and freshman games. Mundy also said that The Dunk will remain the varsity field – “We have no intention of not utilizing the Dunk as the varsity field,” he said.
Marnie Cooke, Director of Marketing and Communications at Noblesville Schools, said the construction of the new JV diamond has been important to the development of the Millers’ baseball student-athletes and the overall baseball program.
“In the past we had over 50 athletes across three Miller baseball teams share one diamond and that has been a challenge for years, sometimes even causing practices and games to be canceled due to lack of space,” said Cooke. “This new facility allows space we need, including maximizing coaching staff and collaboration between the individual teams.”
“It’s also important to note that no referendum dollars were used for the project and we were able to secure a significant discount,” said Cooke.
Mundy, who was the JV baseball coach for Noblesville when The Dunk opened in 1996, said that the Millers program is “very fortunate and blessed due to this partnership with Bullpen,” and also appreciated the efforts of Noblesville Schools Superintendent, Dr. Beth Nidermeyer and the Noblesville School Board of getting the new field opened.
The new turf junior varsity field at Hazel Dell Elementary School in Noblesville saw its first games last week. The new field gives more space to the Millers baseball program, especially for the JV and freshman teams. (Perry Williams)