FRANKLIN FURNACE — As the 2023 spring season approaches, the newly renovated baseball and softball fields and track at Green High School are making an immediate impact for Bobcat programs.

Green baseball coach David Shoupe and softball coach Shane Jenkins spoke to some of the amenities these facilities have provided for their programs.

“We have moved the backstop, dugouts, left and right field fences away from the field giving way to more foul territory,” Shoupe said. “All of those are new, along with a new scoreboard, grass (turf) infield, drainage and irrigation. We’ve also had access to our brand new football facility in order to practice which is a game changer.”

“This year it’s been nice. Not only the softball field, but how many early season practices we were able to have on the football field. In years past we’d just have to come in the gym, but we’ve been able to have full practices outside since the beginning of the season.”

The upgraded facilities were renovated as part of the building of the new Green Local School District following the approved local tax levy in Franklin Furnace.

Shoupe and Jenkins expressed their gratitude to the Green LSD administration and Franklin Furnace community for their support of the baseball and softball programs.

“We’re very blessed to have this facility — it has been worth the wait,” Shoupe said. “We want to thank our community and administration for this wonderful ball park.”

“You saw it with our basketball program, the community coming out to support and that’s why I love this community,” Jenkins said. “I’ve never been told ‘No’ when we need something, it’s ‘How we can get you what you need?’. They get behind all of our programs, sometimes it’s more than what we need.”

After a year of playing primarily road games, or in the softball team’s case playing their home games at their nearby little league field, Green baseball and softball will return to their permanent home at their high school fields when the regular season begins on Saturday, March 25.

Not only are the coaches of the respective programs excited to utilize their upgraded facilities, so too are the players.

“The sense of pride is evident in how our students are getting after it during practice and maintaining our field,” Shoupe said.

“The girls are excited, they’re proud of it,” Jenkins said. “They’re happy with the additions. Happy with the facilities, it’s something we’ve been waiting for for a long time.”

Reach Jacob Smith at (740) 370-0713 ext. 1930, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter @JacobSmithPDT © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved