By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The upgrades continue at the Great Bend Sports Complex, specifically to
Field 1. The baseball field faces the northeast, and any batter that has
stepped up to the plate throughout the last 10 years knows there is a white
house beyond the centerfield fence. A white baseball and a white house do not
mix well for batters trying to read the pitch zooming towards them.
Great Bend Recreation Commission Director Chris Umphres said construction on a “batter’s
eye” was finished last week on Field 1.
"People with baseball knowledge know there's a batter's eye that goes in centerfield to help with visual when you go up to bat," said Umphres. "Currently there is a white house dead center. This will help with tournaments, KCAC, KSHSAA and even our own high school by having a visual backdrop so hitters can see the pitch coming in now."
A batter’s eye is a solid screen, usually a darker color, providing a visual
backdrop for the line of sight for the batter.
Eldridge Fencing installed the dark green structure above the centerfield
fence.
The improvement adds to the recent $1.37 million project that placed turf at
the ballfields at the complex.