Easton, PA — Article by Keith Groller | [email protected] | The Morning Call PUBLISHED: May 4, 2026 at 7:00 AM EDT | UPDATED: May 4, 2026 at 10:56 AM EDT Easton High School’s Richards Field will still hold high school playoff games this spring and Blue Mountain League games this summer, serving as the home of the BML’s Easton Falcons. But Saturday afternoon marked the final time the Red Rovers high school team used the field on the school’s campus off Route 22’s 25th Street exit, and a crowd of over 200 people came out to see the finale at a venue that has been in operation since 1965. The game lacked drama. Easton rolled to a 12-0 nonleague win over Warren Hills Regional from New Jersey in a game stopped by the mercy rule in the middle of the fifth. However, it was still a day filled with emotion for alumni, former coaches and Easton’s coaches Carm LaDuca and Greg Hess, who wanted to make sure the grass and dirt where they spent countless hours over the years got a proper sendoff. “It’s very emotional,” said Hess, who was given the game ball used for the final out. “It’s emotional because we spend so much time on this field to beautify it and get it to where it is. This place was special. But the new place is going to be special, too. It’s bittersweet and I am really going to miss this place because we’re on it all the time, but it’s time to move forward.” The new facility, set to be built toward the back of the school, will have a turf field and a lot of other amenities the current field doesn’t have. “It’s going to have lights, a press box, video boards, stadium seating and room for about 400 or 500 overall, state-of-the-art bullpens, batting cages on both sides and then a fieldhouse will be going up there with some indoor stuff available for us as well, and many other things,” Hess said, noting that an equally impressive softball field is being built next to the baseball facility. League and District 11 officials have already expressed interest in hosting playoff games there. It’s on target to be ready for games next spring and Hess said there will be another ceremony to christen the field. Lots of memories were shared before the game: Easton baseball teams won three league and three district titles at Richards Field, and the 1990 team was an Eastern finalist. “This was a tremendous day to have this many people come back,” LaDuca said. “Anyone who was affiliated with Easton baseball as player, manager or coach was welcome back today and we saw so many people we haven’t seen. There were even a few from the 1965 team, the first to play on this field, who were here. That was really cool. It was a special day. This place was wonderful. Greg and I put our heart and soul into this place. We’re thrilled to getting what we’re getting, because it’s essentially a collage. But we’re going to miss this place.” Matt Baltz, Easton’s athletic director, said he grew up across the street from the school and field but knows it’s important to embrace a positive change. “I am really excited because just this past week we got the news that our project has been approved and we’re ready to roll,” he said. “We spent over three years planning it and it was a ton of work with a great group of people throughout the district and others. So, it’s we’re going to celebrate the end of this field and also the new beginnings of the new high school project altogether. It’s an exciting time. I grew up across the street, so this place was part of my home. I spent so much time here as a student, teaching and coaching. It’s certainly bittersweet to say goodbye to a place I knew so well as a kid and early adulthood. But I am excited to be part of creating what out community is going to have. Now, it’s almost a crazy waiting time until it’s all done and ready to go.” Easton (8-10, 7-7) is waiting to see if it will make the district playoffs. The Red Rovers, who have been under .500 all season but have beaten some of the league’s top teams such as Parkland and Liberty in recent weeks, enter the week needing to beat Nazareth on Monday or Bethlehem Catholic on Tuesday to nail down a 6A berth. In the win over Warren Hills, several seniors stood out. Deegan Keller had two hits, scored a run and drove in one, and Cole Ordway and Kurtis Crossman each scored twice. Four pitchers held Warren Hills to one hit.