The RIBBE Visits The Prout School
Living in Southern Rhode Island, going to the many beaches and restaurants of South County, I probably drive by the Prout School dozens of times every year. The Prout School is located in Wakefield, next to the entrance of the DMV just off Route 1. Today, I decided to take the exit ramp on Route 1 South for the turnaround and the Wakefield Department of Motor Vehicles, follow the access road passed the Family Court building, then onto the property of The Prout School. My first reaction was I just loved the moss covered stone walls that created the perimeter for the athletic fields. I parked up by home plate and walked the grounds around the baseball field.
This baseball field was just one of several athletic fields that the stone walls surrounded. I could see lines on the field, maybe for soccer or field hockey. The soccer goals were up in several sections of the field. There was another backstop off in the distance past right field, probably a softball field. This is an incredible piece of land for the student athletes to use.
As I tend to do at every baseball park, I seek out memorial plaques, commemorative signs, and more recently safety guidelines for the field. I found both on the fencing behind the first base dugout area. Covid-19 CDC safety procedures for the field occupants clearly illustrated on one sign. Next to it, a plaque dedicating the infield to Ann LaBarbera, the mother of Prout School Head Baseball Coach Mike LaBarbera.
Not sure what the ground rules are at the Prout School, but I have to say that a home run to left is significantly easier than a home run to right. The left field stone wall/fence is still a pretty good shot. To hit a home run to right field, you are looking at an inside the park home run, or perhaps the longest baseball ever hit in the state of Rhode Island.
I had a great visit to The Prout School today to check out their baseball field. And I look forward to 2021 and catching a live baseball game there, perhaps sitting along the outfield perimeter on the moss covered stone wall.
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The RIBBE is The Rhode Island Baseball Experience. It is promoting the game of baseball here in the great state of Rhode Island for the entire baseball world to see. The RIBBE is positive stories, photos, videos, and responsible social media posts. The RIBBE is an information resource for families looking for an AAU team or a summer camp or a great place to buy a first baseman’s mitt. The RIBBE is a network of coaches, tournament directors, parents, leagues, and baseball junkies whose passion of the game of baseball is unquestioned. I believe that providing expert analysis, information and directions to ballfields, and coaching advice from some of the top RI baseball minds will help promote the game of baseball here in RI to a whole new level.
The Rhiter - A Writer From Rhode Island 