Longball fundraiser raises $10,000

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lions baseball team raised more than $10,000 in pledges through its Longball fundraiser, held Tuesday, June 21 at the high school field.

“We had a great fund­raiser,” Lion baseball coach David Fairchild said. “We don’t have an exact total yet, but it was one of our best ones so far. Now it’s just a matter of getting the money turned in.”

Players collected pledges based on how far they could hit the ball. Each player hit five fair balls with the longest determining the amount of the donation. Fairchild said 20 of 24 players in the program were able to take part in the event.

“We had a great turnout,” Fairchild said. “The kids did a great job of raising money. Obviously, we’ve got a great community and great parents behind the players.”

Money raised will be used for such projects as purchasing new uniforms and upgrading facilities, Fairchild said.

“The money goes back to our kids,” he said. “We spent $12,000 this year putting new turf down in our batting cages and remodeling the clubhouse. We couldn’t do that without the fundraiser.”