The entry point to this story took place on New Years Day of 2021 when Linda and I moved from Orcas Island, Washington, to Laurel Fork, Virginia.
Prior to moving here, there were three things that I knew about Carroll County. First, there was a Pizza Inn located in a gas station lot by the Interstate. Second, I had played one round of golf at Olde Mill Golf Resort, and finally, Frank Comer umpired a State Championship softball game for someone named Rick Nester back in 2015.
The ballpark that the Lady Cavaliers call home was already on its way to being a very special place, and yes, we added a few more touches to it through our non-profit. But I knew how the announcing, the new scoreboard, and the stadium seats all came about, so I went in search of how the rest of the park came about. It appeared that the majority of the heavy lifting was done after the State Championship game in Lynchburg in 2015.
Jeff Tobler, Cindy Edwards, and Dave Quesenberry were just getting started under the regime of Nester (3rd season ) when everything clicked into place and the school won its very first Class Four State Championship. All of a sudden, the team went from a facility where oversized critters lived under the Porta potty to the home park that you see today.
The game itself was covered incredibly well, so there was simply no reason for one to replay the ” Pickle ” play or ” The Catch.” Instead, the search was for the personal touches from as many people as possible.
We have fresh takes from Rick Nester, Darrin Mathews, Brad Nester, Craig Worrell, Emily Cook, and Cheyenne Strickland, to name just a few. The private plane that carried Rick from the ballpark to his son’s wedding and the fact that local shop owner Ron Cochran actually made the T-shirts before the first pitch was thrown.
We attempted to give credit where credit was due at every point of the face lift the park that lays just south of the Boulevard received. The caretakers of the park rolled out the process one day in a sit down that brought joy to my life.
Obviously, my history with the program began in the fall of 2021 when Paul Nester introduced me to his little brother, and the six years has been a pleasure. In 2023, we flirted with giving the 2015 crown and bookend. We fell in heartbreaking fashion to the eventual champion, Northside, at Cavalier Park.
The bits and pieces have been collected over the years and will hopefully get people to smile and reflect !
