East Butler baseball plays on
PROSPECT — While being denied access to its own field, East Butler locked up its fall baseball league championship recently.
The East Butler Baseball Association’s ages 15-18 team posted a 10-2 record during the fall, winning the four-team circuit that also included Freeport, Slippery Rock and Center Township. Its games were played at Prospect’s baseball complex.
“We are extremely grateful to everyone who allowed our fall baseball season to happen,” East Butler coach Jay Wagner said.
The East Butler Borough Council, with no official written contract with the EBBA pertaining to use of the EBBA complex, locked the gates to the facility two days before East Butler’s scheduled fall baseball opener.
EBBA president Juan Gonzalez and his wife, Association vice president Katy Gonzales, saw to it that the EBBA paid the $250 rental fee to Pullman Park so the team could plays its fall baseball opener as scheduled.
“I don’t want to play games with the borough. I just want our kids to play baseball,” Juan Gonzalez said.
Besides Prospect, East Butler received offers from Butler County Community College, Center Township and Saxonburg to use their facilities during the fall. Prospect is offering its baseball facilities to East Butler for the 2024 spring season as well, should a contract no5t be worked out between EBBA and the borough council.
“As it turned out, Speed-O Field (part of the EBBA complex) has not been maintained since this lock out first started and would have been unsafe to play on anyway,” Wagner said. “The EBBA used to maintain all of those fields, but we’re not permitted to be on the property now.”
Gonzalez added that “we were escorted to and from the concession stand while we were getting our items out of there. We still have some equipment (for field maintenance) we need to get off that property.”
East Butler team captain and center fielder Colton Dickinson was happy the team was able to play its fall season. East Butler was coming off a strong performance at the Freeport International just before the start of the fall campaign.
“I’ve been playing baseball at East Butler for seven years,” Dickinson said. “I was bummed out, not being able t o use our own fields up there. That’s been our home. I’m grateful to Prospect for allowing us to get our season in.
“I’m concerned for the futre of our own complex. Is it going to be playable and safe in the future? This whole thing is sad and hard to understand.”
The one drawback to playing at Prospect was the field had no lights, causing some fall games to be shortened due to darkness.
“Playing under the lights at Speed-O ... I’ll always remember that,” Dickinson said.
Third baseman-pitcher Zarian Finucan said: “We won a lot of games and had a great time. Would have been nice to have been able to use the lights at Speed-O, but that field has gone downhill since the borough took over maintenance of it. Still, I really enjoyed the season.”
The EBBA fields seven baseball teams, from T-Ball through age 18. It built and maintained the baseball complex for 71 years.
“It feels like we’ve been kicked out of our own house and we’re not getting any answers,” Gonzalez said.
A phone call to East Butler Borough Council President Kevin Hesidenz was not returned. Hesidenz had stated at a recent council meeting that the EBBA was being denied field access because it refuses to sign a contract.
Wagner said the EBBA is exploring possible legal action.
