Reds, St. Elizabeth celebrate South Ripley field renovation

(VERSAILLLES, Ind.) – The ribbon was cut on South Ripley’s brand new baseball and softball field on Wednesday. 

The field makeover was made possible by the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, the Tyson Fund and South Ripley Community School Corporation. 

Other sponsors who made it possible included Ivy Tech Community College, Duke Energy Foundation, Ripley County Community Foundation and the Rising Sun Regional Foundation.

South Ripley is the first location in Indiana chosen for the Reds and St. Elizabeth Healthcare field makeover, and just the fourth overall in the Tri-State. 

The upgrades included a new synthetic infield, portable mound, adjustable base configurations for baseball and softball, and a portable outfield fence for softball.

Other facility improvements include a brick donor plaza, signage and PA/audio system.

The dedication ceremony featured several speakers including Reds President & CEO Phil Castellini. 

He applauded the partnerships with St. Elizabeth Healthcare as well as the organizations in Southeast Indiana for making the project become reality. 

“While the baseball and softball teams will get to play on this field with less rainouts, what we’ve learned from other projects is that these fields become community gathering places, and when we have partners like those here at South Ripley, really magical things happen that go beyond the game,” Castellini said. 

Other people who spoke included Reds Community Fund executive director Charley Frank, South Ripley Superintendent Rob Moorhead, South Ripley High School Principal Derek Sutton, St. Elizabeth Healthcare CEO Garren Colvin,  and Tyson Fund President Bob Meyer. 

“This is a transformational project that will impact this community far into the future. This isn’t our first partnership with the Reds and St. Elizabeth Healthcare as baseball and softball donations from those organizations have been going on for years," Moorhead said.

Moorhead added that the field will now be known as Forest G. Waters Field at St. Elizabeth Ball Park.

Waters was the first principal at South Ripley and the field had been named in his honor several years ago.

The ceremony was followed by a doubleheader between South Ripley and Rising Sun’s baseball and softball teams. 

Here are some more photos (All Courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds):