New lights to be installed on the baseball field

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Maddie Kurtovich

Construction workers from the Musco Lighting Company work to install the lighting poles

As spring arrives and spring sports come into full swing, the baseball field is working to accommodate the five teams. This spring, new baseball lights are being installed to add more light and allow for more home games to be played.

Private donors are funding the lights, which are a much-needed addition to the baseball field. By adding new lights, two games can be played each night instead of one. “We have one baseball field with five baseball teams. We don’t really have any land to build another baseball field, so putting in lights allows us to have a little bit more flexibility in scheduling,” activities and athletics director Jerry Pettinger said.

The five new light poles were installed over spring break, but they probably won’t be functional until May 1. “We have to wait on the electrical hookup until the ground is completely thawed out first. That would probably be between mid to late April,” Pettinger said.

The light poles were placed specifically to highlight the ball at any time of the night. They will surround the field at angles chosen to make it easiest for the spectators to see the game. “Musco Lighting determines how the field’s going to be best lit, so you can see the ball at all phases. They’ll determine where the light poles go,” Pettinger said.

The BSM community is looking forward to new opportunities and a chance to use their fields a bit more. “We want to be able to play more games here at BSM, whether it be varsity, junior varsity, freshmen, junior high games,” Pettinger said.