KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – It has been five years in the making, but the baseball and softball fields at Kalamazoo Central High School are about to get a major overhaul.
The baseball field is the same diamond that former New York Yankees great and Kalamazoo native Derek Jeter honed his skills on as a Maroon Giant, and it’s Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation that will be funding most of the $5 million dollar project. Kalamazoo Public Schools will be contributing $250, 000 toward the renovations.
KPS Facilities Director Karen Jackson says the project has been delayed because of the pandemic and the resulting rise in the cost of materials and supply chain issues that have increased costs.
Upgrades will be made to the seating and the dugouts, with artificial turf being installed. Jackson says the fields will also be reoriented so the sun isn’t in the eyes of players in the evening.
The baseball field has already been named for Jeter.
reporting from John McNeill
