Easley Awarded Baseball Tomorrow Fund Grant

The City of Easley announced Monday that it was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $65,000 from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF).

The grant will support the addition of field lighting on two youth baseball fields in Pope Field Baseball Park. The field lighting equipment will be provided at a significant discount through a partnership between BTF and Musco Lighting, Inc., a leader in the sports lighting industry.

The field lighting project will allow the Easley Recreation Department to address safety concerns due to outdated lighting. “The lighting grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund will help Easley Recreation increase safety and usability of facilities and will allow Little League Baseball programs to grow,” Recreation Director Gregg Powell said. “The future of baseball in Easley is bright and new Little League divisions will be added this year.”

“The Baseball Tomorrow Fund is pleased to assist the City of Easley in its continued effort to provide quality, safe facilities for its players,” said Cathy Bradley, Executive Director of the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. “We are happy to be involved in a project that will support the growth of youth baseball and softball in this community. A special thanks our partner, Musco Lighting, Inc., for its continued support of our grant recipients. Without Musco’s expertise and generosity, projects like this one would not be possible.”

The City has begun the process of ordering new lights and selected an electrical firm for the installation. The lighting project is scheduled for completion by August 31, 2013.

The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) is a joint initiative between the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support field renovation and construction projects, equipment and uniform purchases, coaches training material and other selected program expenses.

Since its formation by MLB and the MLBPA in 1999, BTF has awarded more than 700 grants totaling more than $24 million to non-profit and tax-exempt organizations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia. Approximately 330,000 youth players have benefited from programs and facilities supported by the fund. BTF also facilitates league-wide initiatives including the collection and distribution of new and gently used equipment to organizations in need as well as field maintenance education clinics.  For more information, visit baseballtomorrowfund.com and follow BTF on Facebook, Twitter and MLBlogs.

Musco Sports Lighting, a proud partner of the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, has specialized in the design and manufacture of athletic field lighting for over 35 years. Recognized around the globe as the world-class leader in sports lighting, Musco’s Green Generation Lighting® enhances the playing of Americas favorite pastime while cutting energy costs and the impact on the environment.

Working with many prestigious organizations worldwide, Musco has played a key role in developing guidelines for safe, efficient sports facilities. Musco is a proud partner with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Little League® Baseball and Softball, Babe Ruth League, Minor League Baseball, and the Amateur Softball Association. For more about Musco Sports Lighting, visit www.musco.com.