East Butler Baseball Association return sports more than 150 players this spring
SUMMIT TWP — Two years ago, the East Butler Baseball Association Complex sat dormant. This spring, the fields will be alive again.
After coming to an agreement with the East Butler Borough Council to regain use of the four-field complex in 2025 after being locked out the year before, the baseball association has more than 150 players registered for this upcoming season. More are expected as its registration deadline is Saturday, March 28.
“Once we reached the agreement with the borough last year, we got off to a late start in terms of registration,” association president Drew Mooney said. “We wound up with fewer than 100 kids last season. We might have gotten more out for fall ball.
Looking ahead to this season, he said he’s pleased with the turnout.
“We’re rolling,” Mooney said.
It’s a process, the association is rebuilding.
Because Speed-O Field — the field that houses the 13-and-older players — isn’t deemed safe enough to play on this season, the association is offering baseball for only youths ages 3-12.
“The dirt on that field needs redone, and we’re going to put a new mix in there,” Mooney said of Speed-O Field. “We plan to have baseball available at those older levels in 2027.”
In the meantime, plenty of baseball is on tap for 2026.
Association secretary Regan Mooney said more than 50 players (ages 3-4) are registered for T-ball this spring. The association is offering T-ball for free.
“We’re getting plenty of interest and sign-ups from outside of East Butler,” Regan Mooney said. “I just heard from someone in Slippery Rock who is signing up a kid to play. The fact we’re not charging for that age group is part of that surge, I’m sure.”
The association will field eight T-ball teams this year, the most it’s had since well before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.
“The big thing is parents want to get their young children involved in an activity,” Drew Mooney said. “They want them away from screens and on the field. We’re building a base for the future here.”
Regan Mooney said that “once parents see our complex for the first time, the clean bathrooms, well-kept fields, first-rate concession stand, they see this is a good place to be — and they come back.”
Besides its T-ball numbers, the association had 31 to 60 youths signed up for Shetland ball (ages 5-6), 21 for Pinto (7-8), nine for Mustang (9-10) and 20 for Bronco (11-12), as of earlier this month.
Regan Mooney said “another 42 have inquired about joining us, and we’ve still got a number of days to go. It’s hard to project what our final numbers will be.”
The association will field two Bronco teams this year and will participate in the Allegheny River League for the first time. The league consists of nearly 12 other baseball organizations in Western Pennsylvania.
“Traveling to other places to play will be exciting for these kids,” Regan Mooney said.
The basepaths on the Bronco field must be artificially turfed all the way around to qualify as an Allegheny River League site. The association is fulfilling that obligation and plans to eventually turf its two other fields as well.
Once Speed-O field is deemed playable again, similar plans will be included there.
“We have big plans for upgrades here,” Drew Mooney said. “The money is coming from our fundraisers and all of the work done on these fields is volunteer.
“That’s how it’s always been.”
The East Butler group left its facility in August 2023 due to a dispute it had with borough council. East Butler played its 2023 fall season and all of 2024 at the Prospect complex before returning to the East Butler complex last year.
The association and borough council have a one-year contract, good for this season.
“Our goal is get that extended to a five-year contract, and I’m pretty certain that will happen,” Regan Mooney said. “The council has been extremely supportive of us, promoting our events and helping out.
“We’ve proven we’re willing to do the work to maintain and upgrade that complex. We’ve developed a tremendous working relationship with the borough. It’s a no-brainer for it to continue.”
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Niven Hay, left, and Drew Hay work to install a turf expansion at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Niven Hay marks where to place boards for expanded turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Rick Hilliard, left, and Race Prince work on installing a turf expansion at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Phil Hay and Sons Excavating work on expanding turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Phil Hay and Sons Excavating work on expanding turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mike Olson trims down a board for turf expansion at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Phil Hay and Sons Excavating work on expanding turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Phil Hay and Sons Excavating work on expanding turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Phil Hay and Sons Excavating work on expanding turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Niven Hay marks where to place boards for expanded turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Phil Hay and Sons Excavating work on expanding turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Phil Hay and Sons Excavating work on expanding turf at the East Butler Baseball fields on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
