26 April, 2023
The Lauren Anderson Softball Field Project is again showing its support for the Hopkinton High School softball team. Two years after refurbishment and rededication of the Lauren Anderson Field, project organizers Riki Anderson Rubin and Kathy Kilduff presented the Athletic Department with a Changeup Super Softball Pitching Machine with cart and team windbreakers displaying the Hopkinton High logo. Lauren’s initials appear on the cuff.
“It's important that the girls understand the program’s history,” said head softball coach Shannon Allberry Yerardi. “With Lauren’s initials on their new warm up jackets, hopefully they’ll remember that they’re playing for their teammat —past and present – and will be ready to give it their all for Hopkinton High School.”
Assistant coach Jessica Karner noted that the pitching machine will help players hone their skills and grow as a team. “These gifts continue Lauren’s legacy and enable the softball program to continue to improve,” she said.
In 2019, to mark the 25th anniversary of Lauren’s death, this volunteer group launched a fundraiser to renovate Field #6 at Hopkinton High School. Thanks to donations and in-kind services, the project raised more than $30,000 to refurbish the scoreboard and add a set of bleachers, two dugouts with benches and bat racks, dugout and outfield windscreens and fence toppers.
With major field work completed, the Lauren Anderson Softball Field Project team wanted to underscore Lauren’s legacy with an additional donation. They worked with the Athletic Director and softball coaches to identify some team needs. Riki and Kathy presented the new gear and equipment to the school at a team practice on April 24.
Speaking for the Field Project Team, Kathy Kilduff said, “Lauren’s legacy lives on. She continues to touch the lives of these young women. We will always remember her sparkle.”
Be on the lookout for the HCAM News Segment coming soon!
