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Post by longsuffering on Apr 26, 2019 12:47:00 GMT -5
Georgia, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Penn State, B.C. all played at Fitton Field without lights. Now to complete this thought I went to the schedule to be able to say, "and we need lights to play: fill in the biggest creampuff on this year's schedule." But actually there are no creampuffs on this fall's schedule.
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Post by Tom on Apr 26, 2019 14:10:08 GMT -5
Another complaint was about the poor physical condition of the field itself (particularly when compared to baseball), plus the rudimentary scoreboard, lack of a sound system, spectator amenities etc. It was as if softball was the red-headed stepchild. Improvements were made. I think this is primarily because a professional team (Tornadoes) paid a lot of money to upgrade "their" home field. I imagine that the U Lowell aka UMass Lowell baseball team, which shares its park with the A Lowell Spinners, is much nicer than the Riverhawk's softball field |
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 26, 2019 14:30:08 GMT -5
Another complaint was about the poor physical condition of the field itself (particularly when compared to baseball), plus the rudimentary scoreboard, lack of a sound system, spectator amenities etc. It was as if softball was the red-headed stepchild. Improvements were made. I think this is primarily because a professional team (Tornadoes) paid a lot of money to upgrade "their" home field. I imagine that the U Lowell aka UMass Lowell baseball team, which shares its park with the A Lowell Spinners, is much nicer than the Riverhawk's softball field Lowell’s softball field is alright goriverhawks.com/sports/2014/7/18/softball_0718141426.aspx |
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Post by Tom on Apr 26, 2019 15:33:07 GMT -5
I think this is primarily because a professional team (Tornadoes) paid a lot of money to upgrade "their" home field. I imagine that the U Lowell aka UMass Lowell baseball team, which shares its park with the A Lowell Spinners, is much nicer than the Riverhawk's softball field Lowell’s softball field is alright goriverhawks.com/sports/2014/7/18/softball_0718141426.aspxStill a good step below the baseball field. I think the analogy is still valid I know the softball field was pretty lame, but a bit unfair to compare all the amenities to baseball when a pro team steps up and puts that stuff into the baseball stadium so the pro's can use it too |
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 26, 2019 15:53:09 GMT -5
OK, OK. I'll put $2 on Powerball this week. If it's a winner HC can create a "Lyric Little Bandbox" on Freshman Field that would make John Updike proud.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Apr 26, 2019 16:09:16 GMT -5
Georgia, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Penn State, B.C. all played at Fitton Field without lights. Now to complete this thought I went to the schedule to be able to say, "and we need lights to play: fill in the biggest creampuff on this year's schedule." But actually there are no creampuffs on this fall's schedule. Way, way back in the day, Dartmouth @ HC was the televised national game of the week. The game was moved to Lynn MA because not enough juice at Fitton for the broadcast. __________________________________________________________ Softball field in August 2007. Backstop is rusted.Click on link. ^^^ goo.gl/maps/KygCAHMe8q6HVW3K9goo.gl/maps/CE4QkdoPTHbgqXWG8Field in October 2018. Google didn't drive up Kimball Road in 2018 so there is no comparable perspective. |
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 26, 2019 16:44:26 GMT -5
Georgia, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Penn State, B.C. all played at Fitton Field without lights. Now to complete this thought I went to the schedule to be able to say, "and we need lights to play: fill in the biggest creampuff on this year's schedule." But actually there are no creampuffs on this fall's schedule. Way, way back in the day, Dartmouth @ HC was the televised national game of the week. The game was moved to Lynn MA because not enough juice at Fitton for the broadcast. The Jesuits were probably saving money by replacing burnt out fuses with a copper penny in the fuse box. You make a good point that it costs money to maintain a campus like Holy Cross and the college does things well and the right way these days. Freshman Field is a small compact canvas to paint on if and when the resources are there to build an attractive ballpark. You could still have great aesthetics and contain costs because instead of 10,000 seats at Polar Park or 3,000 seats at H.I.P. at Fitton Field, you would only need 500 seats or less at "UNUM Park at Fitton Field." I say UNUM Park because when Paul Revere Insurance of Worcester and UNUM of Portland, Maine and Provident Insurance of Chattanooga, Tennessee all ended up together under the UNUM label it was stated that the combined company wanted to maintain a strong presence in each of the cities that were the former headquarters of the original three companies. I can't think of anything UNUM has done to make a statement in Worcester comparable to Hanover Theater or Hanover Insurance Park, or even Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium. UNUM owns Colonial Life, (a competitor of AFLAC) headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina and bought the naming rights to the Colonial Insurance Arena at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and it has paid dividends as both M&W South Carolina basketball is always on TV. I think I will send an email in to the crack sales team in Development at HC with the suggestion they make a pitch to UNUM to jumpstart the funding for an upgraded softball field. __________________________________________________________  Softball field in August 2007. Backstop is rusted.Click on link. ^^^ goo.gl/maps/KygCAHMe8q6HVW3K9goo.gl/maps/CE4QkdoPTHbgqXWG8Field in October 2018. Google didn't drive up Kimball Road in 2018 so there is no comparable perspective. |
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Post by purplehaze on May 2, 2019 9:23:49 GMT -5
women split a dh yday vs. Hartford, losing game one 2-1 and winning game two 1-0. batting has been the big problem all season. Sr. Held and frosh Nelson pitched very well obviously with Nelson throwing a one-hitter in game two and striking out 16 batters (i.e. only 6 batters put the ball in play). they have 3 winnable games this weekend with last place Lafayette coming here.
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Post by coacht on May 27, 2019 12:39:12 GMT -5
A couple of thoughts (my opinion only) --
First, with the academic requirements to get into HC, there aren't many DII coaches that have experience in that recruiting space. It's not as simple as go to a showcase, see a pitcher throwing 65+ and offer her a full ride. Lots of DIII coaches on both coasts compete for 3.9+ GPA kids, but those coaches, if they have winning records, have a very solid job where they are, with admission slots and arrangements with financial aid to help get qualified girls into the program. Most wouldn't view the risk of a 1 year contract at HC, playing with someone else's recruits as worth the risk just to make the jump to a "low-level DI." They all want/need time to put their fingerprints on the program. A proven DIII coach signing up for a 1-year deal at HC? Not likely.
Second, the NCAA allows for 2 full-time equivalent (paid) assistant coaches, and no more than 4 coaches in the dugout. 10 years ago, HC had 1 full time coach, the head coach, and 1 part-time assistant getting something like a $5k or $6k a year stipend. That translates to 1.5 FTEs. After the Title IX issue surfaced, they bumped it to 1 FT coach (head), and 2 PT assistants. That didn't work well and now with the most recent assistant coach hire, they've shifted to 1 FT Head Coach and 1 FT Assistant Coach. We are not a university, so Graduate Assistants are not an option. This is a funding issue.
Third, to put Freshman Field on par with higher-end DI programs would require a complete re-build, which isn't going to happen. But to put in on par with other PL facilities (and some Ivys and Lower and Mid-Major ballparks) would not. Whether that project is approved, in the queue, on the drawing board or a pipe dream, I don't know.
Finally, in my view, with the strength of academic reputation and religious affiliation that HC brings, there is no reason we can't compete for enough talent to be competitive in the PL, make the conference tourney most years and the occasional Regional (see Lehigh results). The underfunded scholarship budget and below-par facilities make that challenge greater, but still not impossible. Every PL team that gets to the Regionals earns a ton of exposure on ESPN, frequently in a part of the country where HC in particular isn't well known. Recall the UCLA regional with Lehigh a couple of years ago and all you heard was, paraphrasing - what a great thing to see these women getting great educations and competing at the highest level. For two games, two hours each. Softball is the one sport that you can make a significant reputational impact on your program with a relatively small investment. It's time to make it happen.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on May 27, 2019 13:34:11 GMT -5
Thank you for those observations coacht, and welcome to the board.
I'll also opine having only one coach for a sport such as softball significantly impinges on recruiting.
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Post by longsuffering on May 27, 2019 15:10:02 GMT -5
Great stuff coach. Let's hope our new AD can see the situation as clearly as you and has the clout to get the moderate amount of resources that would upgrade the program. He knows his way around budgets, let's hope he has learned where you get the best return on investment for the different sports. BC women's lax is a consistent national power. The Athletic Administration at BC has to deserve some credit for that success in a minor sport, and Marcus was the finance guy in that Athletic Administration. Hopefully he has seen how the successful sports have allocated their funds and how the less successful programs have allocated theirs and he can apply those lessons at HC.
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Post by hc87 on May 27, 2019 15:21:21 GMT -5
Is the softball field located where people used to pahhhk when people actually went to football games???  Sorry...I can't help it.... |
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 27, 2019 16:04:14 GMT -5
Is the softball field located where people used to pahhhk when people actually went to football games??? Sorry...I can't help it.... Don’t hold back—-that’s a very, very clever insight.... |
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Post by longsuffering on May 27, 2019 17:58:06 GMT -5
As the FB program turns around the pahking garage will come in handy. If the ground is dry and firm, the Howard Johnson lawn could be opened up for overflow pahking if needed. Any word on the plans for that lovely stretch of grass where you used to be able to get 28 favors of ice cream?
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