Cordele Dispatch, Cordele, GA

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  • Crisp County High’s Cougars now have a covered outdoors batting cage that will allow them to practice on their hitting and pitching during inclement weather. Col. Billy Hancock of the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office spearheaded efforts to raise funding for the project, raising the majority of the cost by contacting donors from outside the local community. Harvey Simpson/Cordele Dispatch

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February 20, 2013

CCHS baseball gets boost from new covered batting cage

Harvey Simpson Cordele Dispatch

Cordele — Thanks to some “out of the box” thinking by project organizer Billy Hancock, Crisp County High baseball players are now able to get out of the weather for extensive rainy day work.

They can do so in a covered 30X80 batting cage that with its steel roof and concrete base allows for as many as eight batting stations to be set up for hitting practice, a pitching mound to be used and infield practice to be conducted.

“In the past, about all we could do when it rained was go inside the fieldhouse to hit off a tee and soft toss the baseball,” Cougars head coach Bill Pate said.

“As it is now, we can do just about anything and still stay outside which represents a huge boost for our program. This just means so much to our players and coaching staff.”

When Hancock, a colonel with the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, heard Pate express an interest in such a facility some 18-19 months ago, his mental wheels began turning as to how that desire could become reality.

“In trying to figure out how we could raise funding to get the ($18,000) cage, I started thinking out of the box,” Hancock said.

“In order to not hurt the fund-raising efforts of the football, basketball, soccer or any other sport at the high school, I decided to reach outside the community for primary assistance.”

Hancock then authored a letter in which he informed potential contributors of how successful the Cougars’ baseball program had been of late and should continue to be thanks to all the community interest there is in the sport.

“I pointed out in my letter the fact that the team had reached the Sweet 16 round of state play for the last two years and I think that certainly helped build interest among potential donors,” Hancock said.

“I also stressed that our community is not an affluent one and that if we were going to be able to obtain the type facility we were seeking it was going to take a lot of outside help financially.”

Hancock then mailed the correspondence to Motorola through Albany Communications, food service company ABL, Ford Motor Company through Brannen Motors in Unadllla, and PAYTEL, a Greensboro, N.C., based telephone company.

He said Mike Buford of Clark Buford Hatcheries, Robert Clary of Clary Logging and Harold Payne of Payne Roofing and several other local donors too numerous to list also were willing to loan their influence with vendors they knew. Most all of those contacted responded positively.

Putting his money was where his mouth was, Hancock and his wife, Mary Ellen, also chipped in financially, noting the two of them agreed this “was a way to do something positive for our local kids as well as to help them learn more about teamwork, dedication and sportsmanship.”

When it became apparent the funding would be there, the local school system made way for the cage’s location on the home team’s side of the field by moving fences and the sprinkler system. Not too long after that, the facility was completed and ready for use.

“I’m really pleased to see the project materialize the way it did,” Hancock said. “The only reason Mary Ellen and I took the lead role in getting things done was due to our love of kids.

“I personally have enjoyed working with and being around them for quite some time now. I’m just glad I was able to get the ball rolling as it’s great to see them do something with their lives other than hang around on street corners.”

Hancock, who before taking on the batting cage project had helped procure two “Gators” from Chexar and John Deere Tractor Company for use by the CCHS athletics program, revealed the batting cage won’t be the only new item visible at home baseball games.

“We’re going to be flying a Cougar baseball flag on the pole out in center field as a display of just how much we appreciate these kids and all the effort they’re putting into bringing positive recognition to our community,” he said.

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