For years, the Westminster Softball program was largely out-of-sight, out-of-mind to the rest of the school. Most students and faculty were not aware of the softball team for the simple fact that it was nowhere visible on campus. Both Middle School and Upper School softball teams were playing their games and holding practices in the Lower School, and many players were tired and yearned for a change. They were tired of the fact that the trek took so long, that there was no cleaning crew so they had to clean up the field, and that many students at school overlooked them. When a new stadium was finally built a few years ago, completed in 2021, it was the start of a new era for Westminster Softball which has heavily impacted the sport.

Before playing in the new stadium, softball players used to have to play on a field at the Westminster Lower School. Stella Chartrand, a senior varsity softball player remembers how excited she was when the stadium was built because she didn’t have to walk to the Lower School for practice. “I was super excited when it was first built because it was definitely difficult walking from school to the ower field house and then to our practice, which we did in 9th grade,” she says. “It was a trek for sure, so it was nice that our facilities were right where we were.” Ceci Shrader, another senior player, agrees. “It showed that Westminster cared about softball for the first time ever,” she says. “We used to play in a square that was the Lower School playground, and it had a bunch of leaves in it and was just disgusting. It was exciting to see that the school actually recognized that we even had a softball team, and it also brings a lot more fans to the games.” 

Margaret Arnett, assistant coach of Middle School Softball, says that the new stadium has definitely given an updated and newer view to softball compared to the old one. “The old field was great for what it was, but it wasn’t up to date with . . . all the schools around us,” Arnett says. “In the new stadium, we’ve had teams from different schools come in and say ‘Oh my gosh this is beautiful, this is such a great field.’ The central location has also helped, especially with other schools coming in; it’s really helped streamline a lot of the athletics events.”

Layne McLaughlin, head coach of Varsity softball, agrees. “What it has done for the softball program overall has been massive, and [it] has brought a lot of positivity and support for the sport as a whole; girls are now more excited to go to practice. You can tell that softball wasn’t just an afterthought now and that people value it.”

Both coaches believe that the stadium makes the girls who are on the team proud. “I think it’s huge because it’s made [the sport] visible,” says Arnett. “People who are going to the football game can also come watch softball, and I think it’s given a lot of pride to the girls who are playing, and it’s given them a space to feel valued.”  

The stadium was only made possible because of the generosity of John Bekkers, a Westminster parent with a daughter on the softball team. Coaches say he is the reason that softball is more visible here at Westminster, and his generosity has not only improved the facility, but also the energy, spirit, and overall sport. All the students and coaches are so thankful for him and everything he does for the program, especially McLaughlin. “He [John Bekkers] recognized the need and was gracious and willing,” she says. “He realized what it did for women in sports, and knew that this was the future that Westminster needed for their softball program. He’s constantly looking at ways to make it better, and he just wants to be a part of it and do it for his daughter Kathleen and to honor his late wife. I mean I just think it’s really incredible. People in our community like that are invaluable.”