Foundation helps to host college softball showcase

WINTER GARDEN — The four softball fields at Foundation Academy were abuzz Thursday, March 12, much as they had been starting on March 7 and ending a few days later on Sunday.

The parking lot was full, and teams took the field with uniforms that donned the logos and colors of programs including the Minot State University and Central Missouri University. 

The four fields that typically host high-school and youth competition instead hosted nine days of college action as an auxiliary site for PFX Athletics’ The Spring Games, a collegiate softball showcase open to all divisions of colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. 

Beginning in 2008, The Games have served as a way for programs, particularly from northern states, to get rolling while conditions may still be too cold in their home locales. The bulk of the contests are held at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, but auxiliary sites are utilized at Foundation, Lake Felter Park and Hancock Park in Clermont, Minneola Athletic Complex and Montverde Academy. 

It is the second year that Foundation has served as an offsite game location, and Athletic Director David Baginski said the partnership has been beneficial to the school and its own softball team.

“We’re an outreach school, and we like having people of all different walks here on our campus and building up good relationships … it kind of gets word out about Foundation Academy,” Baginski said. “At the same time, it does generate revenue for our programs. They pay us a fee to use the fields for the (nine) days, and then we run a concession stand and have our girls come out and volunteer.”

Beyond the revenue and exposure for the school, there is exposure that is gained for the school’s own students. Baginski said softball players who were not volunteering were able to check out the action and that even some of the school’s other athletes stopped by.

“It just gives (our kids) the experience to see what it takes to become a Division II or Division III athlete if that’s what they’re looking to do after high school,” Baginski said. “They get the chance to talk to players here from different states and different colleges and coaches that they wouldn’t typically have access to.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].