GLEN CARBON – Father McGivney Catholic will unveil its beautiful, state-of-the-art baseball field on Sautrday, April 17, with a game against Wayne City.
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This will be the first official baseball home game for Father McGivney Catholic High School on the field. A ceremony prior to the game will take place at 11:30 a.m.
During the ceremony, both the school’s Principal, Joseph Lombardi, and the school’s President, and the Rev. Jeffrey Goeckner, will address the fans.
“This field is the result of the hard work of our families, our coaches and our athletes," Principal Lombardi said. "On behalf of our McGivney community, I want to thank our supporters for helping build such a beautiful ballpark. Father McGivney continues to provide the best opportunities for our students academically, in their faith formation and in extracurriculars. This field is a wonderful example of our focus on excellence.”
FMCHS Athletic Director Jeff Oller agree: “We’re thankful for the generous donations from the community that made the baseball field happen."
Father McGivney Catholic baseball coach Chris Erwin, is both excited and ready to play on the new field. Erwin explains, “The entire McGivney baseball family has been looking forward to April 17th for a very long time. It will certainly be an historic day for Father McGivney Catholic High School and especially the baseball program. This will be the first time a baseball game will be played on campus and on our beautiful new ballpark. I cannot express how thankful I am to Mr. Lombardi, Coach Oller and the numerous donors and volunteers that had a part in making this day so special.”
Father McGivney’s players are equally excited about the field and what it brings to the program.
Senior shortstop Matthew Gierer said it feels that having a baseball field on campus will accelerate the team’s improvement.
“It’s going to be so much easier having a field in our backyard,” Gierer said. “We can just walk out of the school instead of having to commute 15 minutes to Hoppe. We’ll get a lot more practice time and that will help us grow as a team. For games, it will be fun to play in front of our classmates and our friends.”
Coach Erwin believes that having a true home field will have a huge impact on the program.
“The cool part about this facility is that it is really a stadium,” Erwin said. “From the second story at Father McGivney, you can look right out on the baseball field."
Erwin adds, “Many people have dedicated numerous hours of sweat, time and energy in making this plot of land into our own Field of Dreams! I am honored and blessed to be the head coach of our baseball team at such a special school. The heart and soul of this team is in its senior class.
"I am most excited for these six young men to finally get their time to shine. Initially, they were dealt a very odd hand with COVID-19, but they never wavered and they remained focused to complete what they set out to achieve. Collectively, we are just excited to get playing and show everyone how hard we have worked!”
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