Baseball players in the area of Carman are working on a project to upgrade their baseball diamonds, but the project will cost roughly $1-million.

Carman Minor Ball President Erin Lemky says they offer a number of affordable softball and baseball programs for all ages and are excited to be receiving a $2,000 grant from Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont.

"Right now we are at just over $217,000," says Lemky. "Our goal is to have $500,000 in place by the end of March. At that point, we will move forward and break ground this spring and start the construction of our eight-diamond ball facility."

There are currently 23 minor sports teams that are based out of Carman, ten slow pitch teams, and the 55-plus team, the Carman Cardinals.

Lemky says, "Adding this facility and replacing the old diamonds will really give our community ten diamonds to play on because we'll be keeping the two inside the track."

This will make scheduling significantly easier. It will allow teams to practice on diamonds that better compete with other communities facilities, and also boost the economics of the town. She adds they hope having a facility with higher safety standards will help them to host larger league tournaments.

"The main focus for us is our player safety," continues Lemky. "So, right now we don't have dugouts with player enclosures or proper fencing around the diamonds. That's a huge factor in why this project needs to move forward," Lemky adds.

Chris Unger, research operations lead with Corteva Agriscience, says, "We appreciate and understand how facilities such as ball diamonds bring communities together . . . We are pleased to support Carman Minor Ball in providing local athletes and community members with a safe, modern and accommodating place to play."