Belgrade Softball Complex Rebuilding Facility After Snow Damage

Belgrade, Mont. — Heavy, wet snow damaged parts of the Belgrade Softball Complex and pushed back practice and game plans for local high school softball teams, as they are now a month into the season. 

Jeff Bolton, President of the Belgrade Girls Softball Association, described the damage in stark terms.  

“Everything essentially collapsed on top of itself. So, all the vertical components of the structure, everything horizontal, you know, anything metal essentially bent and was considered a total loss,” said Bolton.  

Bolton explained the damage happened after wet and heavy snowfall hit the Belgrade area two weeks earlier, creating problems at a facility that serves as a central location for the spring sport.  

Joey Roberts, teacher and head softball coach at Belgrade High School, said he saw the damage worsen as the day went on.  

“My first thought typically when we get heavy wet snow is ‘what are the softball fields like?’ and getting here at school and kind of watching it, it was already pretty damaged at 8 a.m., and then watching it deteriorate more and more throughout the day was pretty crazy to see,” said Roberts. 

The winter conditions damaged netting meant to stop foul balls and altered several backstops, leaving questions about whether the fields would be usable for the rest of the season. 

Volunteers worked to get the fields back into playable shape, and Bolton said support came from both inside and outside of the Belgrade Girls Softball Association. 

“Again, I think the biggest thing I want to reiterate is the amount of help that we got. You know, not only within our organization, but other organizations around the area reaching out,” said Jeff Bolton. “The outpouring of support was greatly appreciated, we couldn’t have done it without them,” he said.  

More than 150 players are part of the Belgrade Girls Softball Association, and many see the complex as much more than just a place to play.  

“It’s just like where we’ve all grown up together and our whole softball team has grown up playing together here, and it's like ‘this is our home, this is our favorite spot to be’, and it's really sad seeing it be destructed by something you couldn’t control,” said Rylee Feight, a senior at Belgrade High School, and member of the Belgrade girls softball team.  

Since the damage occurred, work has already begun to bring one of the four fields back into full use, and a second field is close behind as repairs continue.