By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
Niles High School is looking to the community for help raising funds to build a new baseball stadium. But, Friday night, the project got a financial boost from an unlikely place.
Four Vikings' baseball players donated $2,000 in scholarship money they received to help construct the stadium.
Steve Clanton, Cory Coquillard, Nick Downing and Aaron Ralston, all seniors, each received a $500 scholarship from Howard Township Little League recently for their work with the league.
All four played for Howard Township when they were younger. When they gained some age and experience, the four helped the league put on baseball camps and workshops.
When they found out they were receiving the money last week, they immediately thought to put it toward the new stadium.
The players presented a check to the school before Friday night's home football game against Benton Harbor. It was Niles' Homecoming game.
The Vikings said they may get their names somewhere on the new field in honor of their gift.
There is no date set to begin construction on the stadium, but Niles tore down the fence of the current field last week in preparation to break ground. Baseball head coach Mike Vota said he hopes construction on the field will start by the end of October.
The baseball team had a table set up at Friday's game to raise awareness of the fundraising efforts.
The team is selling bricks for the new stadium that will have buyers' names on them to display on the outside wall of the new park.
The table Friday night also had the preliminary blueprints for the new field, which will be built next to the football stadium where the current field sits.
Niles Junior Baseball League has agreed to match the amount of money the school raises, up to $100,000, to go toward the stadium.