BASEBALL: Community helps give GHS baseball field a makeover

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 25, 2017 5:53 AM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

Sometimes you just have to spruce things up a little bit.

But this project needed a major makeover -- one that could restore pride and culture in facility that once housed some of the best players to ever grace a baseball uniform and help transform Goldsboro into a tradition-rich town.

A long-time fixture in the Major League Baseball ranks, Jerry Narron met with Gary Hales, principal at Wayne School of Engineering, to discuss the facility and its safety hazards.

One look said it all.

Rusted, chainlink fences bowed in every direction. A few poles that held the fences together had broken. Wildflowers grew freely throughout the bullpen. The flat pitcher's mound and wooden home plate were barely visible.

Even the weathered and moss-covered aluminum bleachers had rather large patches of weeds and small trees growing through them. That area alone required some heavy-duty equipment and good old "elbow grease" to clean.

The undertaking started May 2016.

Armed with weed-eaters, lawn mowers, weed killer, hoes, rakes, chainsaws and bush trimmers, community members began to clear away the brush.

"The field had been greatly neglected and I was concerned for the safety of the kids playing on it," said Narron, who spent countless hours at the field before he took over for Ron Gardenhire as interim bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"With Gary's help, we were able to get parents and people in Goldsboro involved. A lot of work has been done on the field, but we need to continue upgrading it."

Two Goldsboro Class of 1974 grads -- Berky Perkins and U.S. Army General Al Aycock -- tackled the unsightly bleachers. Narron quipped that not many people can ask a General to grab a shovel and watch him break a sweat.

Police officers stopped by to offer encouragement to some of the student volunteers. They explained the importance about giving back and having pride in the community.

The perfect storm had started.

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But where to begin.

The infield drew immediate attention.

Construction workers used top loaders to grade the uneven surface with a particular mixture of topsoil recommended by retired Charles B. Aycock baseball coach Charles Davis. The smooth infield eliminated the "lip" behind the pitcher's mound, which gave infielders a better chance to cleanly field ground balls and not suffer an injury from a bad hop.

Once the 2017 season ended, Narron jokingly admitted he purchased new sod with the permission of his wife, Donna. The addition bolstered the infield and parts of the outfield.

Next?

"The batting cages and bullpens were a mess," said Narron, who unknowingly became acquainted with a large cluster of poison ivy.

More work remained.

Narron and his wife traveled to the MLB offices in New York and lobbied for a grant to help the cleanup operation. Cathy Bradley, executive director of Baseball Tomorrow, agreed to visit Goldsboro, look at the school and view the field.

The school received $30,000.

There was one provision, however. The project had to be completed by July 31. Hales said the money led to the purchase of new turf-lined batting cages and a backstop with netting to provide safety for the fans.

They increased the fence height in front of the dugouts down the first- and third-base lines. Trees were planted behind the center-field fence and should provide a nice background within a couple of years.

"Athletics is a way to bring people together, get things done. Food is another," Hales laughed. "You've got two schools coming together on campus on the athletic side of things, but the bottom line is we want to make sure the product we have for the kids at Goldsboro High School and WSE is some of the best that it can be.

"They go play on some nice fields. The facilities they see, they deserve that as well. We wanted to make sure we give that to them."

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The overall appeal of the field has dramatically changed.

Are they done?

Another parent day is scheduled to level everything out from where all of the trucks have been on the field. Their plan is to have everything in tip-top shape by mid-February of 2018.

Fans park in the teachers' lot near the softball field. They have to walk down the right-field line for the baseball game.

The dugouts need a fresh coat of paint along with new aluminum seating. The players won't be distracted by bees, wasps and yellow jackets that normally hovered around the wild flowers.

Hales lauded the community's support and plans to have a billboard designed to recognize the people who have participated in the improvement project. Jonathan Burke, who donated countless hours at Narron's side, is certain to be on that list.

"Astounding," Hales said of the short-term effort. "I love going to a ballgame and seeing people everywhere. Now, you've got sports going on all over the place. The more (positive things) we can offer them, the better they will be.

"The better off we will be. I hope people walk away impressed."