Phantoms benefit from new indoor facility

The Phoenixville Area School District, with the assistance of numerous volunteer workers from the Boosters Club and Parents Association, has renovated a vacant building into a $30,000 state-of-the-art indoor facility to benefit the Phantoms’ baseball and softball programs.

The building is located on the campus of the University of Valley Forge, adjacent to the Phoenixville Marian Youth Club (PMYC) football and field hockey field and field house.

The building has been used for some time now and that will only increase now that the spring seasons for baseball and softball are upon us. Practice officially started for spring sportsMonday, March 6, and scrimmages and then regular season games are scheduled during the next several weeks.

The baseball team has been using the facilities during the day, especially for a few hours on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons, while the softball team has used it during weekday evening hours.

Neil Herman is directing the Phoenixville Area High School baseball team for the second season while Grace Henderson is in her first year with the Phantoms’ softball team after serving as an assistant coach to Jennie Moore last year.

Four batting cages highlight the complex, which authorities say is equipped at the same level asmost collegiate Division I and II baseball/softball facilities.

On the walls are the names and jersey numbers of some people who have been so instrumental the Phoenixville baseball and softball programs. They include former head coach John “Doc” Kennedy, who is still involved in the game as a scout for the Major League Baseball Boston Red Sox. Kennedy’s number 18 has been retired at Phoenixville.

Mike Piazza, who entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in July 2016 as a catcher with the New YorkMets, is also enshrined at the PAHS building with his former high school number 13, which has also been retired by the Phantoms.

Another famous Major League Baseball player from Phoenixville is Andre Thornton, a former first baseman and designated hitter. Thornton was originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies, but he played for several other teams during his big league career. Thornton made his mark as a power hitter with the American League’s Cleveland Indians after also spending timewith theNational League Chi-