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Austin Finalist In Competition For Baseball Field Makeover

By Barbara Brosher

Posted April 5, 2018

The small town of Austin, Ind. is hoping to hit a home run in a national competition for a baseball field makeover.

The community is one of four finalists in the Scotts Field Refurbishment Program. The winner gets $50,000 to renovate their field.

Austin leaders say their community is overdue for a win.

"I'm sure most people know Austin for its bad wrap for the HIV outbreak over the last several years," says Austin Clerk and Treasurer Chris Fugate. "That's not who Austin is."

The field at Austin Community Park is one of the bright spots in town. It's where kids can come to be kids. On spring weekends, the stands are usually packed as little league, middle school or high school teams play. It's a gathering place for the community.

"We try to focus on what will keep them engaged and out of trouble," says Park Board President J.D. Buchanan. "And, that's baseball and basketball."

Kids in Austin have been rounding the bases at the park since the ‘70s – and it hasn't changed much since then. Until last year, there wasn't even dirt on the field. And, it's the only one in town.

"It's been band-aided for so long, that it's sloped totally wrong," Buchanan says. "Drainage is terrible."

The community desperately wants to see that change. And, they think kids here deserve something good.

"They lack the resources maybe to go and play baseball and travel ball, or even locally to get to a practice or game that may be 15 or 20 minutes away," says Austin High School Varsity Baseball Coach Matt Bayes. "For some kids, that might not be feasible. So, if we could have a state-of-the-art facility right here in Austin, it would be a huge, huge asset for our youth and our community as a whole."

The winner will be decided by popular vote, which puts the town of less than 5,000 people at a disadvantage. But, Buchanan can't help but get choked up when he thinks about all of the community support.

"Well, it means a lot," he says while holding back tears.

Voting continues until noon on April 30. The winner will be announced next month.