Paul Zaffuto had a wish for the Pittston Area baseball program.
Ron Ralston led the way in making sure it would come true.
The Patriots will play on an artificial turf infield beginning next spring, thanks to the efforts of the Pittston Area Booster Club, with Ralston as director of baseball operations, and a Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services project to renovate local athletic fields.
“I just wished for it and he told me it was coming true,” said Zaffuto, the team’s head coach. “I don’t go to any of the meetings. He’s in meetings all the time, designing turf and deciding what’s going to go where.
“ … He was the one who put all the wheels in motion because of my wishes.”
Work on the field is near completion, making it likely to be ready for use by mid-October.
Zaffuto has been talking about the possibility for the last few years.
“We always have the best uniforms and spikes,” Zaffuto said. “Our kids are well taken care of all the time. Our booster club really reaches out to the community and raises a lot of money. Every year, our booster club has really given our kids a lot.
“For the last three years, Ronny Ralston has been in charge and he has taken it to a new level. When he first came on, he asked what I wanted. I always said turf.”
The aesthetics and prestige that comes with having artificial turf – it will cover the infield and extend 20 feet into the outfield where the field remains natural grass – are just part of the package.
The turf will allow the team to be on the field far more often when weather or field conditions could be an issue, it should play to the established strengths of the program and it creates the possibility of the facility at the Pittston Area Primary Center in Hughestown hosting additional playoff games in high school and American Legion baseball seasons.
“The way we play, defense is our main focus,” Zaffuto said. “The way our field was, it may have looked beautiful, but that ball hopped around a lot.
“ … I always said if we had turf, it would change the way we play.”
In addition to giving truer bounces to allow quality infield play to show through, Pittston Area’s “small ball” style under Zaffuto’s coaching fits what traditionally is considered an effective style of offense on artificial surfaces.
Zaffuto said the Mericle Company’s contributions and its experience in other field projects were a big assistance with site preparation and drainage, which are essential to getting the most benefits out of the turf. Because the artificial turf installation was more expensive than other Little League and youth community field projects, additional Booster Club fundraising was part of the effort.
