By Adam Swift
Members of the Winthrop girls’s softball team attended a town council meeting earlier this month to advocate for improved conditions for the team’s home field.
As plans to improve the field at Ingleside Park were delayed because of the wet early spring weather, several softball players said the team has been left to play home games either in other towns or on subpar little league fields in town.
Since the meeting with the council, Town Council President Jim Letterie said there has been action taken to get the Ingleside field into shape so that the softball team can use it for its upcoming home games.
Brianna Rizotto, a junior on the softball team, read a statement from the team at the April 7 town council meeting.
“For some time, we were assured that a dedicated softball would be developed to support our athletes, families, and younger programs,” said Rizotto. “This promise generated excitement and hope, especially among young players who deserve a safe and appropriate space to practice and compete. Unfortunately, despite the assurances, no meaningful progress has been made, and the project appears to have stalled without clear explanation.”
Following the meeting, Letterie said that work to improve the field at Ingleside had been done so that the softball team could use it as a home field. He also said the town would continue to look at how soon it could install dugouts at the field, adding that he understood the frustrations from the players about not having an equitable playing field compared to other high school sports.
Town Parks and Recreation Director Sean Driscoll spoke about how the town and schools were working to create the best playing environment for the team, but said the work on the field was impacted by bad weather during the spring.
Driscoll also suggested that the town look into a position that would better coordinate field use between the schools and the town.