On Thursday, the Maine Principals’ Association’s softball committee announced that Winslow High School’s softball field would replace Cony High School’s field in Augusta as the site of the Class A North championship game on June 12.
On Friday, they decided to change the time from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“This means the teams won’t have to get out of school quite as early and it’s easier for the parents to get to the game,” said MPA assistant executive director Mike Bisson. “And we’re still playing it early enough so we wouldn’t need lights.”
The Cony field was vandalized last fall by someone who drove a car on it, leaving tire tracks and spots where there is only dirt and no grass.
Last month, Cony athletic director Paul Vachon suggested that the MPA seek an alternate site, saying “I think it’s still a great field but it’s just not worthy of a championship game at this time. And we don’t want to have anyone complaining about the field conditions.”
Eight days ago, Bisson said he checked out between “eight to 10 fields between Brewer and Lewiston down to Brunswick” and came up with Winslow.
“They were all considered and some fit our needs better than others. Winslow has a nice field, it has a way to control access in and out of the field, it has parking and Winslow was willing to host us,” explained Bisson. “Seating and being able to control access to the field are the real challenges for softball.
“They are going to bring in more bleachers and there is room between the temporary (outfield) fence and the permanent fence where people can bring chairs and watch. We will put in a restraining line because we don’t want people leaning or hanging on to the temporary fence. It’s only around four feet high,” said Bisson.
The field is a men’s league facility so the fence was much further out than you would find at a high school softball field, making it virtually impossible for a high school girl to hit a home run. But the addition of the temporary fence significantly enhances that possibility.
The MPA will pay expenses and a rental fee to Winslow.
Bisson said Brewer’s Coffin Field, one of the few lighted fields in the state, was a “serious contender” even though the Witches have dropped down from Class A to Class B this season and the only two Class A teams among the 12 closer to Brewer than Winslow are Bangor and Hampden Academy.
That would mean that Brewer would have hosted all four North regional championship games.
“It’s a beautiful facility with lights but, in the end, we wanted to honor the travel piece,” said Bisson.
Bisson said another plus to having the game in Winslow is that Winslow High School principal Chad Bell is a member of the softball committee “so it will be nice to have coverage from him at the game.”
Bisson said there was a genuine outpouring of support for their plight as is the norm in these situations.
“One of the great things is so many people are willing to help us put on a quality championship event for the kids,” said Bisson.
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