The Parker baseball team has found a new home field at 2967 South Michigan Avenue at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Ed Glancy Field, leaving behind the Lincoln Park South fields. The grass infield is bright green, providing a soft surface for players in the field and making it easier for the ball to bounce. The mound rises in the center of the field, its dirt surface packed just right for pitchers to grip and throw their best pitches. The dugouts are newly painted, with benches for the players to sit and relax between innings. The scoreboard is a modern addition, clearly displaying the current score and making it easy for players and fans to keep track of the game’s progress. These upgrades have created an optimal playing environment, allowing the baseball team to perform at their best and compete with confidence. The credit for this strategic move goes to the team’s head coach Willie Banks who played a large role in the decision-making process. 

  According to Banks, Athletic Director Bobby Starks, expressed the need for a baseball field at the school. Starks made a phone call to local colleges to inquire about who had a field and found out that the Illinois Institute of Technology had a team with a field located only 20 to 25 minutes away from Parker. After some consideration, Starks decided that Ed Glancy Field would be suitable for the baseball program. As a result, Parker secured the use of the field for its teams.

  With the new home field, the team will have access to a baseball facility that is suitable for games with updated amenities. “Our new field has a nice painted dugout; it has a scoreboard. We have grass infield, a mound, and really everything you would want on a baseball field,” sophomore and Captain Lincoln Hamid said. In his second year on the varsity team, Hamid sees the upgrade as a huge bonus to the team moving on from Lincoln Park fields. 

“Our old home field was not necessarily the greatest–it didn’t have a lot of the amenities you would expect on a normal baseball field,” Hamid said. “There was no scoreboard, no grass on the field, no mound, no dugouts, and the backstop overhung the field.” With the new mound, the Parker pitchers have a suitable spot to stand on as they throw, painted dugouts provide a better experience for the players as they wait to bat, a scoreboard allows the players to see important scores during the game feasibly, and the grass infield provides a safer playing surface preventing any players from tripping while fielding.

Senior Jack Hughes, in his final season at Parker, has the excitement that the standards of the new field will bring to the team. “Advantages that I see are [that] people are taking care of the dugout more seriously,” Hughes said. “Balls are easier to take, and people are more serious about their warm-ups and everything.” Regarding the team, Hughes said, “In general, everyone’s just going to see improvement because the space is like that. It’s nice to have a place for everyone.”