Apparently, we found the fastest way to make it rain.
Spend an entire day getting a baseball field ready.
Drake, Wade, and Kent put in some serious work Thursday getting Tippy back into shape. And when we say work, we mean old-fashioned, hoe-in-hand, back-breaking work.
The infield had become overgrown. They spent most of the day working out the weeds with hoes, hauling them away, and cleaning up the field. Ironically, they did it all in dry, dusty conditions.
By the time they came home, they were exhausted and felt like they had breathed half the infield. But they were excited to spend the day on the diamond with everyone, so it was well worth it.
For 11 years, this kind of work has been part of HC Baseball.
Coach Clay spent countless hours doing the work that happens long before anyone sees a lineup card, a practice, or a game. Drake, Wade, and Kent worked alongside him through the years, and they continue putting in that same kind of time and effort today. For that, I am grateful.
We are also grateful for those who have come out over the years to help us clean and prepare the field. A baseball field is a continuous labor of love, but it is well worth it for the greatest game ever played!
What people see on the field during practices and games is only a small part of what it takes to keep a program going. So much of it happens quietly, when nobody is watching, with willing hearts coming together for the love of the game.
And Then There Was the Mower
After all that hand work, Drake used our personal lawn mower to cut the field.
Naturally, because apparently Thursday needed one more challenge, the part of the mower that actually does the mowing broke.
So Drake drove to Huntsville on Friday to borrow a mower from the Meisner family.
We are incredibly grateful to the Meisner family for generously allowing HC to use their mower, and to Abbie and Drake for making the Huntsville haul so the field could be finished.
Their kindness is also a reminder of how much it means when someone chooses to step in and help. Through the years, HC Baseball has truly been blessed with some treasures along the way — people who have given their time, resources, encouragement, or simply a helping hand when one was needed. We couldn’t do it without them!
To those who have helped in the past, those who help us today, and those who will help as we move forward: please know that your contribution matters. It is seen, remembered, and deeply appreciated. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being a blessing to HC!
Of course it rained.
The Work Still Matters
The irony is hard to miss. They spent Thursday working in dry, dusty dirt, getting Tippy ready for players to take the field — and just a few hours later, the rain started.
But the rain does not erase the work.
We are incredibly grateful for Drake, Wade, and Kent and for the many hours they continue to give to HC Baseball. We are grateful for friends like the Meisner family who step in when we need a hand, and for the special people who have stepped in at different moments throughout our history.
Whether the help came years ago, comes today, or comes as we move forward, it matters — and we do not take it for granted.
Baseball has always required more than what happens between the lines. It takes time. It takes work. It takes sacrifice. And more often than not, it takes people willing to do jobs that very few people ever see.
For HC Baseball, it has always been a labor of love.