ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Had the expectation been to witness mere happiness on young faces, the wiser choice would have been to look elsewhere.
Because what stood centerstage at Coca-Cola Park on Monday evening after the secret was disclosed were baseball-loving young teens wearing looks of exhilaration.
- Youth players from Southern Lehigh and Salisbury Township were surprised to learn they would be playing at Coca-Cola Park on Monday night
- The IronPigs sponsor the event — Little League Takeover — each year
- Southern Lehigh received a $10,500 grant from the IronPigs to upgrade facilities at their field
The youth players' joyous delight was triggered upon learning they’d be playing on the very hallowed grass where their big-league heroes-in-waiting play.
“This,” said a smiling Parker Grady, a 13-year-old Southern Lehigh middle infielder, “is awesome!”
The game between 12-to-14-year-olds from the Southern Lehigh Spartans and Salisbury Township Falcons was billed as “Little League Takeover.”
The annual event is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. It matches two Lehigh Valley teams, giving them the thrill of a young lifetime to play on the field where the IronPigs play.
“This is really neat!” Salisbury Township’s Cooper Dickert said. “It’s such a big field. It’s great to get a chance to play on it.”
A ruse made in baseball heaven
So, how did this matchup come to be?
Southern Lehigh was chosen as a participant this year because its league got a $10,500 Facility Improvement Grant from the IronPigs.
Southern Lehigh applied for the grant to help subsidize a $100,000 project to install five new batting cages, with artificial turf and retractable netting.
"To be a kid and play in a big-league park is something they’ll never forget."Arden Strickland, Salisbury Township youth baseball coach
Southern Lehigh had a home game against Salisbury scheduled for Monday. However, a weekend of heavy rain inundated the playing field, rendering it unplayable.
Those factors created a ruse made in baseball heaven.
“Our field took on a lot of rain,” Southern Lehigh coach Joe Grady said. “I used that as an excuse with our players, that the field isn’t able to be played on.”
When both teams showed up at Southern Lehigh’s field on Monday, they were told the game would be played at a different field.
The Spartans and Falcons boarded the same coach bus and headed for, at least in the players’ minds, a destination unknown.
“We told the kids we were headed to play at Dieruff’s field,” Joe Grady said. “And the kids were like, ‘What? No. Where are we going?’ They knew something was up.”
A step away from Big League
As the bus turned into the Coca-Cola Park parking lot, players from both teams knew they were in for a baseball treat.
As players exited the bus, they waved their hands and caps in celebration. Parents and friends cheered and created a corridor for the players to walk through and enter the ballpark.
Smiles were the order of the moment. A big league field was a small step away.
“Once the kids figured it out, they were pretty excited,” Salisbury Township coach Arden Strickland said. “To be a kid and play in a big-league park is something they’ll never forget.
"We are thankful to Southern Lehigh and the IronPigs for the opportunity. This is just great.”
“We just didn’t talk about it at home. Didn’t bring it up at all. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When Cooper did find out, he was so excited."Parent Tricia Dickert
Tricia Dickert said she learned her son’s team would play in the game about two weeks ago. Keeping her excitement under wraps from Cooper wasn’t easy, Dickert said.
“We just didn’t talk about it at home,” she said. “Didn’t bring it up at all. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When Cooper did find out, he was so excited.”
For a few hours on a Monday in May, a bunch of kids felt like big leaguers.
Sitting in the same dugout as the IronPigs. Standing in the same batter’s boxes as the IronPigs. Toeing the same rubber. Standing on the same bases. Fielding balls off the same infield dirt. Patrolling the same outfield.
Seeing their name and uniform number flashed on the giant video screen in left-centerfield.
Looks, as they say, can be deceiving. Although the players from Southern Lehigh and Salisbury Township appeared to be running on a field of dreams, here’s the truth:
They were floating.
