BROWNSBURG, Ind. -- A central Indiana little league will get a makeover at the end of the summer, thanks to the Cincinnati Reds and a hometown player.
Arbuckle Acres in Brownsburg has been home to little league since 1951, but the the league was told they’d have to find a new home after the 2017 season.
While it came as a surprise, the league was able to find land for the new facility, but it cost nearly $6 million.
And that's where the Reds came to the rescue.
The project hit close to home for Reds catcher, Tucker Barnhart, who grew up in Brownsburg.
He returned home Friday to announce that the Reds Community Fund would be investing in their new field.
“I want to be a positive role model for everyone and anyone to be able to give back to a community that gave me so much,” said Barnhart.
The plan is to make everything handicap-accessible at the new facility. They also want to be able to accommodate multiple programs, not just little league.
“We’re building this new facility to not only take care of the boys and girls in our little league, but also older kids all the way up to the age of 17, which gives a permanent home to all kids in Brownsburg. Which saves time on travel, it saves expenses for parents, it’s just a wonderful opportunity and we’re looking for our home for the next 100 years,” said Kirk LeBlanc with Brownsburg Little League.
The group hopes to break ground on the project soon and the fields should be ready for play by April of 2018.
