Rabun Gap baseball thriving in new, upgraded facilities

The Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School Eagles baseball program has a new indoor home and renovated field to kick off the 2021 season. 

  

Marked by major conference and state-level success, the program’s decorated history is now matched by an impressive field and facility alongside Highway 441. This year’s team has already been hard at work preparing for another winning season and is a strong conference contender. 

The completion of an indoor training facility continues a series of renovations to the baseball complex at Rabun Gap that also included field enhancements and new dugouts. The state-of-the-art training facility contains two 70-foot cages, weight-training and conditioning equipment, and a turf surface housed in a metal building along the home side of the field. Head Coach Clark Wright said the new training center will allow players to compete and stay healthy year-round in any weather conditions. 

“This facility is an absolute game changer for the Rabun Gap baseball program,” said Head Baseball Coach Clark Wright.  “Any player looking to push himself to the next level has it all at his fingertips, within a thirty-second walk from our field.  We are blessed and thrilled to be able to work in such an elite facility and hope to make the community proud of our hard work on and off the field.”

The indoor training facility and field enhancements elevate Rabun Gap’s baseball facilities to be among the very best in the region. Last spring, major upgrades to the field under the direction of  Steve Peeler, a well-known professional in the field, were completed and included realignment, drainage solutions, new dugouts, fencing, netting, and an updated scoreboard. 

"The upgrades to our baseball field and addition of the indoor training facility makes such an impact on our entire athletic program,” said Athletic Director Dale Earnhardt. “While our baseball teams have access to this facility throughout the year, it also relieves pressure on other facilities to become available for teams to use on bad weather days. Every addition like this allows us to move closer to our goal of being one of the top athletic programs along the east coast.”

The indoor training facility and field enhancements were made possible by the support from a generous, anonymous donor to honor the sport of baseball and the student-athletes who pursue it. Tom Adams of Dillard was the lead contractor on the facility with support from Hunnicutt Grading in Clayton.  Additional support in expertise, installation, and materials was provided by Mark Cohea and Russell Hulsey of Landscape Design Company, LLC in Lula and Andy Jones of Field Turf USA. 

“Elevating our sports programs and facilities is not possible without the generous partnership of local businesses and loyal donors,” said Head of School Jeff Miles. “We are so grateful for the financial and in-kind support of our campus and extended community, and we look forward to a great season of baseball as we cheer on the Eagles.”