April 28, 2023 |
Photo – Rawlins Baseball Fields – Courtesy Rawlins Generals Facebook
Volunteers are making a big difference to the neglected Rawlins baseball fields.
During a special work session held on April 4th, Parks and Recreation Director Jason Sehon informed the Rawlins City Council that the town’s sporting fields needed major repairs. Sehon said he was surprised by how overgrown, and rodent infested the ballfields were.
Sehon called on volunteers, and city staff, to clean up the ballfields and bring them back to a playable condition. Little League coach Brandon Snyder responded to Sehon’s appeal. Snyder said with the help of players and their parents, he began fixing up the city’s disused little and senior league baseball fields.
Snyder said with Sehon’s permission, he was able to use his personal equipment to help improve the ballfield. The little league coach said the field was in very bad shape. He, and his team of four volunteers, really had their work cut out for them.
Snyder and the volunteers worked to tidy up the fields for two weekends, so far. Despite the progress they made, Snyder said a lot more remains to be done.
With the fields in such bad shape, the kids played mainly in Rock Springs and Casper. Snyder said he’s hopeful the fields will be ready for home games later in the season.
During April 4th’s work session, Trevor Taffner, of the American Legion Generals baseball team, said he received a letter from the conference director saying the fields in Rawlins were unsafe to play on. Snyder said the Generals’ fields have taken priority over the youth leagues.
While he is optimistic about his chances of scheduling home games this season, Synder acknowledged that much work remains to be done. He said if the volunteers can’t get the fields ready by the end of this year, the improvements that have been made will encourage teams to play in Rawlins next season.
