A new softball field is being built at SC thanks to a $2 million donation from the Stacy Ann Baker Charitable Fund. The field will be named “Baker Field” in honor of 1985 alumnus Stacy Baker. The District 204 Board of Education approved the donation on Feb. 20, 2024 at a Regular Action Meeting.

Baker was a star softball player during her time as an LT student, Athletic Director John Grundke said. Her family wanted to donate to LT to support the softball program because it meant so much to Baker. 

“She was the MVP of the team before earning a scholarship to play softball at Northern Illinois University,” Grundke said. “She then became a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. She tragically passed away in a car accident in 1999 at the age of 32.”

Varsity softball player Ava Jacklin ‘26 is excited about the new field.  

“I think the new field will have a positive impact [on our team] because it’s a way to promote our program, and it also makes girls more excited to come to practice since it’s a nicer field than we had previously,” Jacklin said. 

According to an online article from the Patch, the new field will include bleachers with 206 seats and five wheelchair spots, masonry dugouts, a press box, and a video scoreboard. 

This field will be built closer to the SC building, just south of the tennis courts. LT plans to convert the current field into an open grass field for various activities. 

“It will significantly improve the softball field that the team currently uses,” Grundke said. “The new field will have a turf field that can be used even after rain. It will [also] be located closer to the building so that players, coaches, and spectators will have better access to washrooms and parking.”

Softball season will begin in the spring of 2026. The goal is to have the project finished this fall so that it is ready for the team’s season, Grundke said. A formal ceremony will be held after the improvements are made to officially name the field after Stacy Baker.