Play ball: Haywood softball players celebrate reopening of Helene-damaged field
Players were excited to return to the diamond at Dutch Fisher Filed in Waynesville.
Kyle Perrotti photos
It’s been over a year and a half since the hollow ping of softball bats has rung out over Waynesville’s Dutch Fisher Field, but on April 13, teams again enjoyed the chance to kick up some dust on their favorite diamond.
When Hurricane Helene decimated the area in September 2024, many community institutions lost so much. Mountaineer Little League lost two fields, including Dutch Fisher.
But now, the quest for those girls to get a field of their own is complete as players again take to the perfectly manicured Georgia clay diamond with a renewed since of spirit, energy and camaraderie, brand new stadium lights shining down to meet the coming dusk.
The long road to the first pitch
Mountaineer Little League Vice President of Softball Ashley Nesbitt took on her role just months before Helene devastated the region. Nesbitt said that after the floods hit, players used Waynesville Middle School’s softball field, but everyone longed to have their old field back. Worst of all was the uncertainty. Would Dutch Fisher be rebuilt or destroyed? Should she consider how to rehabilitate the field, or should she start looking for a new location?
Nesbitt said that soon after the flood, she came down to the field hoping to salvage anything worth saving.
“It [the equipment] sat in my garage for a long time, and every time I saw it, it reminded me of the field,” she said.
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Like Dutch Fisher Field, Mountaineer Little League’s field at the Waynesville Elks Lodge was also flooded during Helene. That facility opened back up for play in October of last year, and the goal with Dutch Fisher was to mirror many of the improvements seen at the Elks Lodge, to make it sort of a “sister field,” as Nesbitt put it. The field largely mirrors what was done with the Elks Lodge field down to the black-and-gold color scheme players hope to one day don on Tuscola’s diamond.
As difficult as the Elks Lodge project was, rebuilding afforded the organization the opportunity to upgrade facilities that had already been aging. Nesbitt said the same was the case with Dutch Fisher.
“The buildings needed to be updated, and there were a couple of spots on the field that needed it too,” she said. “So, it gave us the opportunity to start from the bottom and build up and make it what we wanted.”
The town steps in
The reason Dutch Fisher reopened a half-year after the Elks Lodge field is that it is on town property, which complicated the process. Around the time the Elks Lodge field reopened, Nesbitt and others made their voices heard at a Waynesville Town Council meeting. In response, the town pledged $50,000 toward the project, an amount that matched a donation from Dick’s Sporting Goods. In addition, town crews separately constructed the fence around the field.
Present at the ribbon cutting were Waynesville mayor Gary Caldwell and Town Council members Jon Feichter and Chuck Dickson. Caldwell said that with FEMA characteristically dragging its feet in providing reimbursements or aid in reconstruction following Helene, it made sense for the town to “bite the bullet” and draw from its fund balance to help get the Dutch Fisher project across the finish line. “Oh yeah, it’s worth it,” Caldwell said.
Feichter said that in local government, controversies often dominate headlines, but to play a part in bringing something so overwhelmingly positive has been a joy.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to see the collaboration between the town government and the Mountaineer Little League and Dick’s and the people in this community that love girl’s softball,” he said. “To see the parents come to a meeting and speak so passionately about what not having this field meant to them, just, how could you not support this kind of stuff? It’s everything that’s government should be about.”
A community effort
Along with getting a helping hand from the town, Nesbitt noted that the hard work of countless volunteers was needed to bring the field to the point it was ready for play again. She said that during several work days, plenty of people — even those whose kids had aged out of Mountaineer Little League — were happy to help and brought a positive spirit that made the job less of a slog and more of a positive gathering of community members committed to a singular goal.
“It’s inspiring to see how much the community rallied around the rebuild of Dutch Fisher Field,” she said.
Mountaineer Little League President Richie Cunningham was involved in the restoration of both the Elks Lodge field and Dutch Fisher field. To have a front-row seat for two examples of tremendous volunteer spirit after Helene was inspiring.
“A lot of work has gone into not only what everybody sees on the fields, but behind the scenes,” he said. “Just tremendous amount of work.”
The legend of Dutch Fisher
Clyde “Dutch” Fisher was a cornerstone of the Hazelwood community. Although he was born in Jackson County, he grew up in Haywood. Along with working a long career with Dayco, Fisher also served as Hazelwood’s mayor on and off from 1940-1972. He was involved in little league in his youth and played in Haywood’s Industrial League, made up of teams from the various factories in the county.
Fisher’s granddaughter, Libby Enloe, told The Smoky Mountain News that family lore says he was such a good infielder that he was recruited by the Cincinnati Reds.
“I don’t know if that was true or not, but my mother always swore that was that was the case,” she said.
Libby Enloe’s mother, Mary Ann Fisher-Enloe, also served as the mayor of Hazelwood. When she was elected in 1983, she wanted to do something with the Creekside property where the softball field is now. Eventually state funds came available to build a park, so she wrote a grant, which was used in 1990 to build the original Dutch Fisher Field, named in memory of her father. Mary Ann Fisher Enloe passed away on April 13, 2024, exactly two years before the ribbon was cut at the new field.
“I honestly had no idea that the community had really come to love this field the way that they have,” Libby Enloe said. “I talked to Ashley about this field and what it meant to the girls’ teams, and I was just really touched.”
The architect
During a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, Nesbitt took a moment to honor Mackie McKay, who at a spry 76, ran out to the mound like an eager relief pitcher to receive a plaque. McKay was sporting a Little League World Series grounds crew polo. Indeed, he’s spent some time in Williamsport — 10 years, in fact.
Mackie McKay has built plenty of baseball and softball fields, but Dutch Fisher holds a special place in his heart.
McKay is a baseball guy through and through. At just age 16, he coached a 15-year-old boys’ team and has since maintained a love of the game. Once his son was in high school, he began working on fields. He decided he wanted to perfect his craft and learn more about tournaments, so he aimed for the big show. After seeking a gig with the Little League World Series for multiple years, he eventually got his wish and spent several years on the grounds crew. From there, he worked on fields at Western Carolina University, East Carolina and Clemson.
McKay, a cousin of Mary Ann Fisher Enloe, originally built Dutch Fisher Field in 1990. To have a part in rebuilding his local softball field is an honor.
“This is a community connection to where I grew up,” he said. “Little League here has always been a Hazelwood project, and I wanted to continue that tradition when it came to this field.”
Play ball
Along with being heavily involved with Mountaineer Little League at an administrative level, Nesbitt has a daughter who played the first game on the new diamond, so there was an added layer of excitement. She also coaches youth basketball and recalled that throughout that season over the winter, girls on her team were always curious about the status of the field they care so much about.
“They were constantly asking me, ‘What’s going on with the softball field? Are we going to get to play there?’ I also work at the Hazelwood elementary school; kids that go there would ask me, like, ‘What’s going on with field?’ They were wanting updates constantly,” she said.
While the community helped out, Nesbitt was perhaps most proud to see the pride the girls took in their own field.
Libby Enloe and Ashley Nesbitt share a moment ahead of the first pitch at Dutch Fisher.
“We actually had several players come down here and spend their Saturday,” she said. “It was cold and wet, and they were out here painting. They were having a blast taking ownership in the field themselves.”
Nesbitt admitted that there were times that uncertainty surrounding Dutch Fisher and rumors circulated that it would never open again. But for her, it was important to keep the faith, if not for Mountaineer Little League, for the players whose weeks can revolve around the few hours they get the chance to play the game they love with their friends.
“This is where their softball career starts,” Nesbitt said. “It means so much for them to have a place to call home and be proud of. They were inspired to see how many people had a part in this, and it means something to them.”
