From the Bench: Makeover, Upgrades to Tune of Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Play at BHS Sports Venue
By Jeff Toquinto on March 23, 2025 from Sports Blog
You may not have noticed, but there are some pretty significant upgrades involving Bridgeport High School athletics that have taken place and will continue to take place in one of the more “out of the way” sports venues.
In recent weeks, activity has ramped up for a project involving multiple improvements at the softball complex utilized by BHS and Bridgeport Middle School behind the BMS campus. And it is coming with a price tag of roughly $75,000 with a substantial chunk of athletic 
fund dollars provided by the school levy.
fund dollars provided by the school levy.
“There is a lot that has happened, a lot that is happening, and a lot that will happen,” said Bridgeport High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Tom Sears. “The big thing is that we had a company that laser graded the infield, which was a very serious need at the field.”
Sears said getting it laser graded should help reduce the number of games delayed, postponed, or cancelled due to water issues. In past years, Sears said there has been a lot of standing water on the field.
“When you have standing water, even with a little bit of rain, it becomes a challenge and makes it difficult to get in your schedule,” he said.
Standing water should – and almost definitely will – be outdated. The field got more than just laser graded to help keep it in tip top shape by Thomas Proturf, Inc. out of Pennsylvania (who also did some work on the BHS baseball field warning track and laser grading on the infield).
The field has been essentially reshaped. It now meets all the specifications of a regulation field. On top of everything, the company added infield mix that also will enhance the overall playing surface and experience.
“All of those little things, but mainly the laser grading, are important steps. It really looks good as we’re about to head into the season,” 
said Sears.
said Sears.
But there is more. It is not installed, but there is a new scoreboard that will be put in place at the complex.
“(Board of education) maintenance has reached out and we’re having the conversations that need to be had to make the process work as it is supposed to work,” said Sears. “The players will recognize the field, the coaches and those who follow closely too. But the scoreboard should stand out even to the casual observers even though it is not nearly as important as what we’ve done to the field.”
While that should happen during the season, there will be other work taking place. Sears said new fence caps will be installed along with a wind screen to be utilized over the entire outfield fence.
“The field is a necessity, but we’re also looking up the aesthetics of the field. We want it to look nice and be representative of our community and of our quality student-athletes,” Sears said.
Making things look nice is not lip service. There will be a wind screen around the entire batting cage as well.
Speaking of the batting cage, some physical repairs will be made to it, or have been made, after it was backed into, and some posts were damaged.
“We had to make sure it was safe, and it is,” Sear said.
Safe, dependable, looking good … a good progression so far. And, yes, there is more as part of the six-figure upgrade and makeover.
“There will be new backstop padding as well and we’re going to wrap the dugouts in some padding too,” said Sears. “By the time it is all done, we think it’s going to look like a brand-new field.”
Including a new flagpole in place in center field that Sears said should wrap everything up.
The final question, of course, is when it will be done. The team’s season-opening contest was on Wednesday on the road. The home-opening contest is Monday, March 24, against Liberty at 5 p.m.
I can say for certain those improvements will not be made by then. They should be done before the year concludes.
“We’ll utilize time when there are breaks between games at home and on the road and even breaks in actual games you may see some work,” said Sears. “Everything I’ve mentioned is ordered. Waiting for it and getting it installed is the biggest challenge.”
It is a challenge that the staff believed was worth tackling, he said.
“(BHS Principal) Miss (Renee) Mathews and myself felt strongly that our young ladies deserved a field they could be proud of,” he said. “Doing this, we hope, shows them the school and the community is invested in them, and we want all of our student-athletes to feel where the compete is a special place.”
Sears and everyone have shown 75,000 reasons such is the case.
Editor's Note: Top and second photo show contractors prepping the field for the recent laser grading at the softball complex. Bottom photo is of BHS AD and Assistant Principal Tom Sears.
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