Holton Parks and Recreation Director Mike Reichle stands next to a 16-foot section of chain link fence in right field at Optimist Field in Holton’s Chandler Park. New fencing has recently been installed at the baseball field. (Photo by Brian Sanders)

New fence up at Chandler Park's Optimist Field

 

It will take a batter with a lot more power and the ability to hit a baseball or softball with a much higher trajectory to hit a home run at Holton’s Optimist Field now.

The Optimist Field ballfield at Chandler Park has been transformed from what was considered a small ballfield into a much bigger one now with new 8-foot tall chain link fencing in center field and massive 16-foot tall chain link fencing at the left field and right field corners.

The new fencing in the outfield replaces a 5-foot fence that was there previously, it was reported.

The Optimist Field also features a 12-foot tall fence along the first base and third base lines (10 foot tall chain link plus 2 foot tall cement wall).

The 8-foot tall chin link fence in center field is about 200 feet in width. All the rest of the outfield fence is 16-feet tall.

The Holton Ball Association paid $24,500 for the new fencing and cooperated with the city of Holton to get the project completed, it was reported. Kent Fencing of Topeka did the work.

The distance between home plate and the outfield fences at Optimist Field are short for high school and adult baseball standards – just 285 feet to the left field fence, just 300 feet to the center field fence and just 265 feet to the right field fence.

But with the new 16-foot tall fencing along the first base and third base corners of the outfield, the Optimist Field’s reputation for a “short porch’’ will be changed to “blue monster’’ as blush meshing is expected to be the finishing touching on the tall fencing and hits will be required to travel 10 to 15 percent farther to clear the new fences.

To figure out just how far a baseball will need to travel now to clear the taller outfield fences at Optimist Field, you need a graphing calculating set in parametric mode and some knowledge of trigonometry and physics.

Even then, answers vary depending on the trajectory and velocity of the baseball/softball in flight hit from home plate.

During the 2013 season, Major League Baseball’s average home run over the left field fence reached an average height of 81 feet and traveled an average distance of 378 feet from home plate.

The average MLB left field fence is 10 feet tall and is 320 feet from home plate.

Holton’s Optimist Field is the home of the Holton High School baseball team, multiple summer baseball leagues and adult co-ed softball leagues.

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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