Play ball!

MANAWA – A new softball field located at Little Wolf High School had a ribbon cutting on May 8 to officially open up for the Lady Wolves softball team.
The ribbon cutting was completed by seniors from the Little Wolf High School softball team. Ryan Peterson, the Manawa school district administrator, gave a short speech before slicing the ribbon.
“We would like to take a moment and celebrate the opening of our brand new softball field. This field isn’t just a collection of bases and fences, this field is a symbol of our commitment to our students, our athletes and our entire community,” Peterson said. “It represents opportunity, teamwork, and pride.”
Peterson when on to thank school board members Sondra Reierson, Pete Griffin, Craig Fietzer, Stephanie Riske, Shannon Hansen, Scott Emmert and Brianna Coyle, for their dedication to getting the field funded and assisting in bringing the field to life.
He also gave a thank you to all that helped to build the new field, with using local businesses such as Spiegelberg Incorporated, Master Electric and S&S Excavating as well as help from Midwest Athletic Fields.

“This is more than just a new field,” Peterson said at the ribbon cutting. “It’s an amazing space where our girls will compete, grow and shine. It will serve generations of athletes, create countless memories and stand as a source of pride for the Manawa School District. Let’s celebrate this moment and all it represents.”
Manawa school district baseball and softball games hosted in Manawa were historically played at Lindsay Park, as well as summer baseball, softball and Little League games.
After the heavy rains and flooding July 5, 2024 the Manawa dam was breached and flooded the sewer plant as well as the playing fields at Lindsay Park, both of which are down river from the dam.
City officials were unable to give an exact timeline for getting the fields up and running, unsure of whether they would be ready before the high school baseball and softball season started.
The Manawa school board jumped into action to make sure students would be able to host games on home turf.
“We were told by multiple contractors through the city that those fields would not be ready for play, which then mobilized the board of education to say ‘hey we’re going to make sure we have playing fields for our kids,’” Peterson said. “Baseball and softball are incredibly important to our community and the school system. We’ve got to figure out a way that we’re going to help support that in the community.”
The Manawa school board approved the measure for building the softball field on high school property Oct. 10.
Many from the community attended a meeting of the Improvements and Services Committee Nov. 14 where city officials announced that they started the bidding process for the fields at Lindsay Park.
Committee chair Ann Bonikowske announced at that meeting that the fields at Lindsay Park will be better than they have ever been, also acknowledging that the high school has opted to build their own softball field.
Bonikowske said the city would have the baseball fields done by the time the season comes.
Peterson said this really was a group effort, with people from all over the community stepping in to ensure a home field in Manawa, and to support local sports for their students.