KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo Central High School broke ground Wednesday morning on a new baseball and softball field that will be called "Derek Jeter Field."
“This project for us is an amazing way not just for the kids to have a great playing environment, but also for them to learn life lessons, which this is these very fields are where me and Derek learned many, many life lessons through our parents,” Sharlee Jeter, president of Turn 2 Foundation, said.
Former Kalamazoo Central student and professional baseball player Derek Jeter contributed $5 million to the project through his Turn 2 Foundation.
His sister, Sharlee, says it's a full circle moment being able to give back to a school that gave them so many memories.
Students and coaches told FOX 17 that they’re excited about the much-needed upgrade.
“It's always going to be ready for us to play on, and our practices, I think, are going to be just fun and I'm really excited looking forward to it,” London Rabb, a high school softball player, said.
According to Tyruss Ratliff, a coach, it was time for a new field. The old one had bumps in the dirt and water problems when it rained, causing canceled games and practices.
“Hopefully it grows the game, it gets more people interested, younger players interested, so as they come into high school, they want to play softball, they want to play baseball. They want to stick with it rather than switching over to different sports,” Coach Ratliff told FOX 17.
The project will include things like new seating, dugouts, restrooms and synthetic turf.
Jeter is known for always giving back to Kalamazoo Central and high school Principal Valerie Boggan hopes his actions continue to inspire her students.
“I want our students, if they took one seed that was planted, it's to always give back, to never turn your back, but to give back to reach back and pull somebody up with you. And that's what this field represents for me,” Principal Boggan said.
The project is scheduled to be completed by 2024.
