HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Wallace State Community College cut the ribbon Saturday on the new softball field at Bobby McCraken Stadium/Pete Harris Softball Field before the Lions took on Gadsden State Community College in a double-header.
“It’s a great day to be a Lion,” said Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics. “We are so proud of this softball team and the history of this softball program.”
“We wanted to make an investment in the future of softball through this field.”
Head Coach and Wallace State Softball alumnus Sally Beth Burch thanked Dr. Karolewics for the college’s support.
“Thank you all for being here today. I just want to give a huge thank you to Dr. Karolewics, Paul Bailey and all of our administration. I’ve been around this program since 2007 and it’s great to see where it’s come from 2007 to now and that’s a product of everything that you give to us.
“We just want to thank you so much for supporting us on and off the field – we love this field.”
The field is part of nearly $5 million in investments in athletic facilities at the college this year, including more than $2 million in baseball and softball.
Former Wallace State player Jennifer Sexton Turner, Most Valuable Player of the 2008 National Championship team, threw out the first pitch for Saturday’s game. Turner reminisced on her time as a Wallace State Lion and expressed her excitement about the upgrades since then.
After the ribbon-cutting, the No. 11-ranked Lions took on Gadsden State Community College in their first home game of the season. Wallace State Lady Lions beat Gadsden State in both games with final scores of 5-2 and 3-2.
