A field is essential for a softball game to occur. It’s where the players pitch, bat, and score runs; but what if there is no field? The RHS softball field was destroyed during the tornado that swept through Rolla last spring. It was declared unusable, and the field situation for the upcoming season for softball was unclear.
Head softball coach Kenneth Hohe clarified just how bad the damage was.
“The tornado wiped out the concession stand, the restrooms, and the press box. That building was destroyed and deemed unfit to remain, so it had to be torn down. [The tornado] ripped down the nets, bent the poles, ruined the roof on both dugouts, and the scoreboard and the fence was damaged. And the infield dirt and the outfield is littered with broken glass, pieces of metal, and all kinds of debris all over the infield. So when we eventually return there, all of that stuff will have to be picked up, raked up, and cleaned up,” Hohe said.
The team was then left without a home field to practice and host games. Hohe confirmed there is a new practice location for this year.
“Schuman is now our home field … The city has given us the field starting August first. It will be ours until the season ends. No one else uses it. They are maintaining it, they are cleaning restrooms. They are working the dirt, doing the raking and all of that, but no one else is using it. No one else has the keys,” Hohe said.
Even though the new field has come with some adversity, junior Ellie Meyerott believes the team’s determined attitude has carried them through the challenges.
“We are just grateful that we have a field, but we also miss having our own field and like our privacy, because after we leave practice, there’s so many other people trying to use Schuman Park because it’s in the middle of a busy neighborhood,” Meyerott said.
According to Hohe, the district is currently reviewing plans to restore the damaged field, with hopes that the team will return to their home field by fall of 2026. Until then, fans are turning up to cheer for the Lady Bulldogs at Schuman. Senior Abby Kriete believes this change can turn out to be a positive thing for her team.
“Honestly, I think this new field has really just, if anything, brought us together. You know, we have to do a little more work together, and if anything, it’s just teaching us perseverance. It is my senior year, and we don’t have our home field, but we’re still staying positive, and I think that shows a lot about this team,” Kriete said.
