‘Nightmare’ puts dream on hold for Cougars

By JEREMY SELLEW

jsellew@yourmvi.com

While the ongoing pandemic has taken the seasons away from our local spring sport athletes, it’s taken away something else from the Charleroi softball team.

The chance for the Cougars to play at their new den.

Construction has been completed on Charleroi’s new on-campus softball facility and now it’s just waiting for the players to take the field.

A collaborative effort between the Charleroi Area School District and Mon Valley Career & Technology Center, the project was discussed last summer with construction beginning in late August.

“The planning started over the summer,” Charleroi superintendent Dr. Ed Zelich said. “There were so many people instrumental in putting everything together and they all did a fantastic job.”

Head softball coach Trey Tilghman said talking about a new field began about eight years ago. Up until this year, the Cougars played in downtown Charleroi at Trustees Community Park.

Only the district’s varsity and middle school teams will use the new facility.

“Scheduling was an issue downtown,” Tilghman said. “We tried to do a couple night games. You run into issues with the youth leagues and had to be off the field by a certain time. The (recreation) baseball teams would show up then you were just in the way. 

“Now it will be easier to get the girls down here and the visibility of it. Hopefully we can get a few more faculty members and students here to watch the games. It’s so much easier with it being here right by the high school, just hang out after school and come down and watch the game. The girls deserve the support.”

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