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Morristown West’s baseball field, and facility, has come a long way in a short period of time and was honored for its improvements.

Each year, the TSSAA hands out awards for the top baseball field in each of its classifications. This past year, Morristown West was selected as the top field in Class 4A. West coach Justin Pickett accepted the honor at a ceremony in late January.

“This year, we were selected as the 2023 baseball field and facility of the year in 4A,” Pickett said. “This is just something we have been working towards for awhile. There’s been a lot of people and hands that have been working on our program for many years. We are very excited about it and very proud of it. It’s a big accomplishment, especially for our conference, region and the school.”

For Pickett, this is his ninth year with the program, seventh as head coach. Each year, he has tried to make improvements little-by-little in order to make the facility as top notch as it is today.

“We have made a complete turnaround with everything,” Pickett said. “It just needed a lot of time and commitment. We’ve done just a little at a time each of my nine years here. We’ve improved our dugout, the seed and fertilization and the new wall. There’s just been so much we’ve been able to do in a short amount of time. For what we have been able to do on the high school level in this amount of time, it says a lot about the people who have done their part to help out with everything.”

One of the biggest improvements that Pickett has seen during his time is the Trojans indoor facility. Construction began in 2019 and includes a bullpen area, batting cages, a weight room and a makeshift locker room.

The most recent upgrade to the facility came this year as a new heating unit was installed to make the work inside in the winter a little more comfortable.

“From the weight room to the batting cages and everything, there’s just not as nice of a facility for high school baseball,” Pickett said. “I wish everyone had a facility like this because it is nice. In the winter, we’re just able to do so much more because of it.”

The biggest upgrade to the field itself occurred last year as the Trojans got turf installed at the plate and the backstop. Those upgrades will be intensified in May, after the season, as Pickett plans for the entire infield to be turfed. That, along with a new netting system, will go a long way to making the field and facility even more top class.

“It’s been great because even when it rains, we can still go live with hitters,” Pickett said. “Starting in May, we are going to turf our whole infield and put a whole netting system up. That’s going to be a major improvement and gamechanger. Not only for us now, but for the younger kids coming up. I think we’re heading in the right direction, and it’s just fun. It’s fun to be able to do this for everyone.”

All of the improvements would not have been made possible without the community pitching in. As someone who has been around the area for a long time, Pickett knows and is appreciative of the effort everyone has put in to build a field and facility that the city can enjoy for years to come.

“That’s a huge part of our program: our fundraisers and support staff and booster club and donors,” Pickett said. “All of those people that have helped out, it goes a long way. We’re just trying to emphasize what we’re giving back to the community and the school. It’s very nice to be a part of something like this in Morristown. I am very appreciative of everyone.”

As for his current players and incoming players, Pickett reminds them every day of how lucky they are to have this area to work in. And, he hopes it will only get better as the years go on.

“We remind them every day of how lucky they are,” Pickett said. “Each generation of players that come through here have an imprint here and footprint. Not only are they coming here and learning the game, but they have an opportunity to leave an imprint on how they leave this place. That’s what we really try and tell them each day.”