August softball field vandalism still haunts team

The Seton Hill University (SHU) women’s softball team started off their year on a depressing note. The weekend before school started in August, the team’s wooden benches were stolen from their dugouts and thrown over the hill by the railroad tracks, which broke them into pieces.

“I definitely think it stinks and I think it’s surely a reflection of how women’s sports don’t get respected,” said Laura Cymmerman, the women’s softball head coach.

By Kayla Sawyer,

Online Editor

The Seton Hill University (SHU) women’s softball team started off their year on a depressing note. The weekend before school started in August, the team’s wooden benches were stolen from their dugouts and thrown over the hill by the railroad tracks, which broke them into pieces.

“I definitely think it stinks and I think it’s surely a reflection of how women’s sports don’t get respected,” said Laura Cymmerman, the women’s softball head coach.

According to Cymmerman, insurance would not cover the theft and the money had to come out of the softball team’s budget.

“My players were angry about that,” said Cymmerman. “It was an unexpected expense. Now we have to push back other things that we could have used that money for.”

Cymmerman said that the cost of the new benches, which are going to be aluminum, is around $800. The money, however, was not fundraising money or independent money that was raised by the softball team. It was provided by the university and allocated to the team.

“If we hadn’t had enough money in our budget, we would have had to fundraise for it,” said Cymmerman.
The destruction of the softball team’s benches is just one of the many incidents that have happened to SHU’s softball field. According to Cymmerman, empty beer bottles and cans as well as tire tracks from dirt bikes and ATVs can often be found on the field.

“I see a lack of concern on the part of the students to take care of their own campus. It’s very disappointing,” said Marc Marizzaldi, men’s baseball head coach.

“It’s really hard to have nice things on this campus because everything gets broken or vandalized,” said Victoria Mara, a senior member of the softball team.

“I’ve only been here three years but it’s common knowledge that people party all the time in the softball dugouts because there isn’t any security down there and they know they’re not going to get caught,” said Cymmerman. “Security can’t easily get to our field and I know they’re not going to walk down there, especially when it’s cold like this.”

The field has other troubles as well: rusted fences, holes in their backstop, grass spots on the field and holes in the outfield.

“It not only looks bad, but it’s not safe in some areas,” said Erika Yates, a junior member of the softball team. “Now on top of all that, we have no benches, which makes it look even more like a little league T-ball field.”

“We work just as hard as any other team on campus and our field has so many problems with it that will effect us on game day, but the boys have a perfect field,” said Mara. “I would simply like to come off of the field, sit down on the bench and drink some water like they will be doing.”