The baseball program at Springfield High School will soon receive a gift that will serve two different, yet equally important purposes.

When construction on the team’s new batting cage is complete in the next few weeks, the obvious, tangible benefit will be for the players who can use the structure for extra batting practice and to get their swings in during games in preparation for their at-bats.
But it is the story behind the cage that may mean even more to this team and specifically to the players who will be among the first to use it.

The primary inspiration for building the cage in the first place was the tragic death of local coach Bob Abrams in 2005 after being struck at a game at the high school. Abrams was a close friend of Andy Ritch, the Spartans’ current head coach, as well as a mentor and friend to several of the team’s current players.

“I knew Bob, but I don’t know how to put into words everything he meant,” Ritch declares. “I coached with him and against him, and one thing that stands out is that there was nothing he wouldn’t do for a kid to help him out. He would literally go out of his way for a kid in need, no doubt about it.”

After Abrams’ death, the impact on those who knew him was profound. Ritch and his son Dan, now a senior on the team, were part of a summer traveling team and together they took a two-week sabbatical from baseball because of their sadness over losing their friend.

Even today, memories of what happened at their field on that fateful summer day remain with the players on this year’s Spartans squad who knew Abrams. “It’s always in their minds to some extent,” their coach concedes.

Thoughts of Bob Abrams and what he stood for will be on everyone’s minds in the next few weeks once the cage is completed and the dedication ceremony is held. Ritch anticipates that ceremony will take place before the end of the current season, giving the outgoing seniors a chance to take part in something that will have immense meaning to each of them.

“It took a couple of years to make this happen,” Ritch says. “Our boosters kept working, raising money and finally it’s going to happen. It’s a great thing for these kids after all they have been through, you can’t truly put it into words how they feel about all of this.”
Abrams’ family has been supportive of the project as well, according to Ritch. With the completion of the cage, the family will now have a lasting monument to him that will also benefit the program that he gave so much to over the years.

It is certain to be an emotional day when the cage is dedicated, a day that will bring memories flooding back for those who knew Bob Abrams.

“We’ll be reminded of what he stood for,” Ritch states. “I don’t think there will be many dry eyes that day. After all that has gone on from the time the accident happened and all these kids and the Abrams family have gone through, it’s going to be as very emotional day.”

The day will also be a starting point for not just a team and a family, but also a community. Going forward, everyone who drives past the SHS baseball field, located right next to Sanitarium Road, the cage will be visible from the road and will stand as a representation of a man who made such a profound impact on the lives of so many. One batting cage, two distinct and important purposes. It’s exactly the type of project that would have made Bob Abrams smile.