Washington to spend 5 figures on baseball net

WASHINGTON — School board members planned to spend up to $33,000 on a net for the baseball field as building construction gets underway, a move that will keep the field usable as crews expand the high school building.

“Once we start our building project, it will cut into our baseball field,” Superintendent Willie Stone said. “We would have two classes that would not play any home games, if we don’t do something like this, for two years.”

The net is 190 feet long and 20 feet high, and could cost up to $33,000 to purchase and install, a process that would involve moving light poles according to Stone. Other locations in town, including the Wellness Park and Green Park, were too small or needed excessive maintenance work.

Stone said the net would likely remain in use after construction.

“The good news is we were probably going to buy a net anyways to put in front of the building to stop it from smoking our windows,” he said. “It probably wouldn’t be that much because it wouldn’t be as long, but that is a cost that we were probably looking at anyways.”

Washington head coach Tyler Rausch was excited to hear his team will be able to stay on its home field.

“We were very excited to hear the school board's approval to purchase the net,” Rausch said. “I think it is awesome.”

Rausch says he is especially excited for the upper classmen.

“It gives these seniors the ability to still play at home for their final season as a Washington Demon,” Rausch said. “The baseball program is a family and every family needs a home, so we are very grateful we still get to call Dick Sojka Memorial Field our home.”