Special to the Leader & Times

French Family Field is getting a major facelift.

Seward County Community College recently hosted a ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate major renovations to the home field of Lady Saints softball.

The $600,000 project, which is fully funded through private donations, will be the first major on-field upgrade for softball. New improvements include a turf infield, a sprinkler and drainage system, sod for the outfield and outfield fencing. There will also be upgrades to the bullpens, batting cages and backstop behind home plate.

The renovation also coincides with new safety regulations required by the National Junior College Athletic Association for the upcoming season, which includes more give from the outfield fencing and padding for the dugouts.

The initiative is made possible by the generosity of lead donors, the French Family and Mike Colvin. The project also received major support from the Gould Foundation, Cooper Clark Foundation, Conestoga Energy, alongside the contributions of countless other donors who have invested in the program’s future. This collective commitment ensures that the facility improvements will be completed without the use of taxpayer funds, reflecting a strong community-wide investment in the success of SCCC athletics.

“This project is a testament to the incredible support we receive from our community,” SCCC President Brad Bennett said. “We are deeply grateful to the French family, the Colvin family, and everyone who contributed to this effort. Their generosity allows us to provide our softball team with a top-tier facility that matches the caliber of our student-athletes.”

Bill French, owner of French Construction, has played a major part of past facility improvements, including the construction of a press box as well improvements to the dugouts.

“We started in 2017 with a press box and over the years we’ve done some improvements, but this is a big one,” French said. “We’re excited to get going. The community has been really good to me and my company. I’m honored to do it.”

Cody Cole, SCCC associate vice president of athletics, and Kimber Cortemelia, Lady Saints head softball coach, believe the upgrades will be a dramatic improvement for the playing experiences for the student-athletes as well as the viewing enjoyment for the fans watching the game in stands..

“We are excited that the generous donations have led us to this point of being able to do an on-field project at softball,” Cole said. “We needed to address the upcoming NJCAA safety requirements and are fortunate to also address our infield and outfield to better assist our student-athletes with their playing experience at Seward County.”

“It’s going to make a world of difference not only for this year’s team, but for every team that follows. It elevates the program,” Cortemelia said.

Along with the donors, the SCCC Foundation and the softball team also contributed with a donation drive this past spring. The Foundation and Lady Saints raised $100,000 which was matched by French.

The project is currently underway and expected to be completed in time for the Lady Saints’ first home game of the 2027 season scheduled for Jan. 30, 2027.