King’s Ridge Christian School, located off Bethany Bend, broke ground on its new varsity baseball field April 12 off Cogburn Road.
The school sits in the City of Alpharetta next to North Park with City of Milton roads surrounding its campus.
Around 50 people, including a former school headmaster, members of the King’s Ridge Board of Trustees and representatives from the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce gathered around a meadow at 13600 Cogburn Road for the ceremony.
A December 2021 purchase of the former 17-acre Roadrunners baseball complex for $2.2 million and another 2 acres from the Founding Faith Worship Center for $400,000 made the day possible.
The school completed its Be Bold campaign last August, which raised $9.6 million from 2021-23 for various school improvements, including the new field.
Athletic Director Mike Power, who also serves as the head baseball coach, took the podium with four seniors on his team.
The Tigers plays the Social Circle Redskins April 29 in the second round of the Class A Division 1 playoffs at American Legion Post 201 on Wills Road.
Power thanked school administrators and the community for bringing the new field to his team, which will be ready for next season’s playoff run, he said.
Chandler Deblois, Ethan Babcock, Nate Kittredge and Luke Hill are seniors at King’s Ridge but will continue playing ball in college.
“It’s going to be fun for the younger guys,” Deblois said. “Hopefully, we will get to come back on our breaks and use the facilities some.”
When asked if the freshman and sophomores on the team can bring a state championship to the new field, the four seniors gave a resounding “oh, yeah.”
From what the seniors have seen of renderings, they said the new facilities are going to be great.
It’s been a journey from classes at the refurbished Bruno’s grocery store to the more than 90-acre campus where the school sits today.
While speaking at the groundbreaking, former Headmaster David Rhodes took time to thank individuals who made the 20-plus-year effort to build a baseball field at the school a reality.
Rhodes talked about the contributions of John Smoltz, former Atlanta Braves pitcher and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, who founded King’s Ridge Christian School along with surrounding North Fulton families in 2001.
During an emotional speech about Smoltz’s generosity to the school, Rhodes told stories about the baseball legend’s refusal to have a building named after him, despite his significant contributions.
Before King’s Ridge announced the completion of another addition to the school, Rhoades would ask Smoltz if the school could put his name on the building.
Rhoades said Smoltz asked him to name it after a teacher at the school every time.
“I have a feeling that’s going to change here in the future,” he said.
Smoltz, before jumping into a bulldozer to clear dirt, spoke at the podium about the 20-year process to get a state-of-the-art baseball field at the school that he helped get off the ground.
“God knows we wanted to do this as quick as possible,” Smoltz said. “Being part of this school 20-some years ago, not having a baseball field and what I did for a living, there was a lot of pressure.”
He thanked Tom Haire, the owner of the Roadrunners property, for having patience and working to ensure the land went to the school.
“I can remember gulping and swallowing when we didn’t have a baseball field,” he said. “Well, we won a couple state championships, so it shows you what can be done when you have perspective.”
While he is not involved in the school’s day-to-day operations, Smoltz follows developments closely.
“To the baseball teams and players before and the current ones, thank you for your patience, even if you didn’t have it,” Smoltz said. “I’m proud to sit at 40,000 feet and watch this school grow.”
Switching tunes, from contemplative to ecstatic, Smoltz g... Click here to read full article
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