Canton athlete represents BC High at ground breaking

L-R: Kyle Burke, William Kemeza, BC High president, Rev. J. Donald Monan, SJ, Chancellor J. Keith Motley, and Bryan Dupre

Kyle Burke of Canton, a sophomore at Boston College High School, who played centerfielder and batted .500 on the 18-2 JV baseball team, had the honor of representing the BC High baseball team at the ground breaking of Monan Park, a new shared community baseball complex on the campus of BC High in Dorchester on Thursday, June 11.

Since BC High and the University of Massachusetts Boston will share the new ballpark when it opens in the spring of 2016, Burke represented BC High and Bryan Dupre, a rising senior outfielder from Chicopee, represented UMass Boston. Reverend J. Donald Monan, SJ, BC High President Bill Kemeza, and UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley all spoke at the ceremony. Members of the BC High Choir sang “Take Me out to the Ball Game.”

Anchored by a $2 million commitment from the Yawkey Foundation, this public/private partnership is named J. Donald Monan, SJ Park to honor his outstanding educational leadership, vision, and commitment to the city of Boston.

Monan Park will sit within the property lines of BC High and include the following attributes:

Full-sized competition stadium for high-school and collegiate level games. The main field will replicate the exact dimensions of Fenway Park and includes fencing, bullpens, a warning track, a batter’s eye, full-sized dugouts and batting cages, and a replica of Fenway’s famed Green Monster.

A full synthetic turf facility, with clay pitcher’s mound.

Stadium seating for 500 spectators, full lighting for evening games and practices, and a press box.

Secondary playing field suitable for practice and sub-varsity games.

Full-sized soccer field within a secondary baseball field.

A proven commitment to community engagement is a hallmark of both BC High and UMass Boston. Monan Park will not only enhance athletic opportunities for these schools, but it will address the needs of the community as well. The new fields will be an ideal venue for Boston’s Park League, America’s oldest amateur baseball league for men 19-25, as well as Dorchester and South Boston Babe Ruth League baseball.

In addition, the park creates an ideal space for both baseball-specific and summer camp programs due to its proximity to both academic campuses. More than 1,000 youth and collegiate athletes are anticipated to directly benefit from this complex on an annual basis.

Corporate sponsors for the Monan Park project are WB Mason, Rockland Trust, Lambert’s, McGee Toyota, and Prime Time Sports.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=30000

Posted by Guest on Jun 26 2015. Filed under Beyond CHS, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.