One of the most heavily utilized neighborhood ball fields in Greater Cincinnati received a long overdue upgrade, culminating with a community celebration on Wednesday.
Madisonville Field, home to Shroder High School and the longstanding Madisonville Braves and Lady Braves organizations, is the most recent beneficiary of the Reds Community Fund¡¯s local field renovation efforts. The field also serves as a community hub and is one of the home sites for Knothole Baseball¡¯s ¡°Central Region.¡± The highlight of the Madisonville Field project is a new synthetic infield which makes the field accessible to boys and girls of all ages while ensuring fewer weather-related cancellations.
In addition to the synthetic infield, new dugouts, a new backstop and fencing were included as part of the renovation. Funding was provided by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the Reds Community Fund, the Matteucci Family and the Ackermann Group, with support from Playground Equipment Services. A grant through PNC helps provide ongoing field maintenance.
¡°This has become really the staple of what we're trying to do with youth baseball and softball in our communities; these synthetic infields are a game changer,¡± Reds President and CEO Phil Castellini said. ¡°And you'll see, not only will this field get so much more playing time for the sports it's dedicated to, but so many other activities can take place for the community on this field. So it'll have a life well beyond baseball and softball, and I hope the entire community and the school continues to benefit.¡±
The weather wasn¡¯t a factor on Wednesday, which turned out to be a picturesque spring afternoon in Cincinnati. The program featured a handful of speakers including Castellini, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and CRC Director of Recreation Daniel Betts. Additional guests included Rob and Carla Matteucci, whose generous donation and lead role helped get the project to the finish line, along with representatives from project partners the Ackermann Group, Playground Equipment Services and PNC.
¡°The Reds are a critical part of our civic pride, our civic identity,¡± Pureval said. ¡°And so much of our love for the Reds is because of not just their performance on the field but also their intentional work to invest back into our community, to create opportunities just like this for our kids to have access to substantive and productive before- and after-school activities, and to really make sure that all of the city of Cincinnati is experiencing the growth and the positivity that so many of our neighborhoods are. And Madisonville is no different.¡±
¡°Our goals align with the Reds in that we want to see more youth playing baseball across the city,¡± Betts added. ¡°We know that the deterrent for young people is to keep them engaged and active in activities that are positive. And this is just one way of us doing that. There is no doubt in my mind that this field is going to get utilized.¡±
Once the presentation concluded, there was an official ribbon cutting and ceremonial first pitch. From there, it was time to showcase the field with a game between the Shroder Jaguars and Aiken Falcons.
The event was a true community affair, with Madisonville residents coming out to celebrate the neighborhood¡¯s new jewel field and enjoy some afternoon baseball. One of those residents was Lornie Starkey, a longtime community leader who helped start the Madisonville Braves program back in 1984.
While many programs have come and gone in that time, the Madisonville Braves are still standing and thriving, in large part due to Starkey¡¯s efforts over the past four decades. It¡¯s no surprise that the magnitude of the project hit home once he was able to see the finished product.
¡°I can¡¯t express it in words. I¡¯m kind of overwhelmed to see this now from where it started in 1984,¡± Starkey said. ¡°I have these glasses on because I might shed a tear. We¡¯re so appreciative of this.¡±
Shroder head baseball coach James Johnson also has direct ties to Madisonville Field. Years before the fourth-year coach assumed his current role, Johnson played for Shroder during his high school days. It was a full circle moment seeing his kids warming up on the very field he played on as a student-athlete.
With the sleek new infield surface allowing for more baseball to be played -- and perhaps yielding fewer bumps and bruises than he recalled it providing him as a player -- he is excited to see the popularity of the sport take off.
¡°For a lot of students in Cincinnati Public Schools, baseball isn¡¯t a primary sport for them,¡± Johnson said. ¡°It's not because of a lack of interest but sometimes a lack of accessibility. And so hopefully this starts to be a catalyst, not just for Shroder and the kids that are coming through our junior high and high school programs, but also [for] the kids in the Madisonville community that are now starting to see their friends not just playing baseball but loving it.¡±