PENN TWP — From fields of weeds to fields of dreams.

Nothing But Baseball Camp director Jay Fennell and a group of volunteer workers pulled off such a transformation recently at the three youth baseball fields sitting behind Penn Christian Academy.

Those fields had not been used in three years — since the Penn Township Baseball Association ceased operation. High grass and weeds had overtaken them.

Fennell had been running his annual Nothing But Baseball Camp for 13 years on his own property, which featured infield, outfield and bullpen practice areas that he constructed.

Fennell sold that property last year and thought he had gained permission to use Laura Doerr Park for this year's camp. That option fell through just days before the camp was scheduled to open.

“I needed to find a field,” Fennell said. “I have two sons who go to Penn Christian and I knew of those fields behind the school.

“I inquired about them and Cindy Dodds, who is in charge of the school, told me if I was willing to refurbish the fields, I could use them.”

So Fennell and his band of volunteers went to work.

They brought in mowers, tractors, weed wackers, other equipment, and spent 120 man hours over a seven-day period to get the job done.

“It felt like we were mowing grass forever,” Chris Porco said. “It took a few times just to get the ground manageable so we could start putting a ballfield together.”

The mounds and infields were completely grown over by weeds and foliage. Dirt for all of the infields was manually brought in by wheelbarrows.

“When I saw what it first looked like back here, I figured there was no way we could get this done in the time frame we had,” Kevin Fike admitted. “Everybody just went at it. We mowed every night until dark.”

Porco, Tim Nicolazzo and Kevin Fike were among the daily workers on the field. All three had sons playing ball on the field this week during the camp.

“I played on these fields when I was a kid ... This is giving me goose bumps, watching this,” Nicolazzo said.

“It's hard to believe that two weeks ago, the grass and weeds all through here were two or three feet high ... It looked like a hay field.”

The camp featured 90 kids. Fennell used to have 45 to 50 kids at the camp when he housed it at his home-based complex.

“This has definitely worked out for the better,” Fennell said. “We've got big plans for down the road. Next year, we plan to have a few travel tournaments here. We can easily accommodate 12 teams on these three fields.”

One of the fields is Little League-sized while the middle field is designed for Pony League and the field in the back of the complex built for 7 and 8-year-olds. Plans are to extend the outfield fences on both of the latter fields.

Once the new infield dirt was plowed over and raked in, all three fields drained well. Even with the heavy rains of late, the two-week camp lost only two days to inclement weather.

Butler graduate Bobby Swartwout, one of 15 current high school or collegiate athletes working the camp, said everyone pitched in to get the kids on the field.

“(Knoch graduate) Andy Fritz and I worked on the third base area of one field for three hours to get it ready,” Swartwout said. “Hard work always pays off in the end.

“Seeing these kids out here enjoying baseball, learning the game, me having a chance to give back, the hard work was all worth it. Now kids have three fields to play baseball on they didn't have before.”

All three fields will be maintained and improved for the next five years, at least. Possible plans to build a junior high school on the property could take out one of the fields at that point.

“We know there's more work to be done before you can play actual (tournament) games here,” Nicolazzo said. “More trimming and landscaping needs done around the outfield fences and the infields will develop more.

“We'll get it there.”

Fennell agreed.

“This was just a bunch of people working together to make something happen,” Fennell said. “Now that we brought it back to life, we're going to take care of this place,” he said.