NATCHEZ &045; Liberty Park is getting crowded.

After an Oct. 27 approval by the Adams County Recreation Committee, Trinity Episcopal will now play its home baseball games at the facility were Natchez High and Cathedral currently welcome in opponents.

The move, first initiated by Trinity Head of School Dr. Delecia Carey, comes after the school was notified over the summer it must either buy the property that sits adjacent to the school on U.S. 61 South or vacate that field where it had historically played their games.

&uot;I wish we wouldn’t have to do this, but our baseball team needs a field,&uot; Carey said. &uot;Liberty Park is really the only other suitable field, other than ACCS, for high school baseball.&uot;

The field’s owner, Dan Bland, said the time has come for he and his wife to support their children, who have endeavors that require compensation.

&uot;It’s simply a matter of economics &045;

that’s the bottom line,&uot; said Bland, who has owned the property for 13 years. &uot;We wanted Trinity to have the first rights to buy the property. We would’ve made a nice donation, but we understand. It’s a small school in a small town. We’re glad to see they’ve found themselves a new home.&uot;

Committee vice chairman Dianne Kirby said there were no hang-ups among board members for allowing a third party use of Liberty Park.

She added the tight circumstances underscores the increasing need for a recreation complex to be constructed somewhere in Adams County.

&uot;We went to the mayor’s office years ago asking to (build a complex),&uot; said Kirby, who as sat on the committee for more than 20 years. &uot;I guess the money wasn’t there. But we definitely need to do something. The field is for the public.&uot;

She added other sports, such as soccer and football, should be figured into the equation if and when designing begins.

Carey said her school was not shocked when it received the message in the fall from Bland because of the summer correspondence.

&uot;(Bland’s) given us plenty of notice,&uot; she said. &uot;I don’t think it’s out of the question that some day we’ll be able to buy that field. But it’s not an option this year.&uot;

In order to make an offer, Trinity considered either dipping into its endowment or borrowing money, Carey said.

&uot;Neither one of those (options) make good sense right now,&uot; she added. &uot;We’re just trying to make the best of a bad situation.&uot;

Matt Mason, who acts as the defensive coordinator for Trinity’s No. 1 Mississippi Private School Association Class A football team, begins his first year as head baseball coach in the spring.

Saints athletic director David King, who serves as head coach for football, boys’ basketball and track, devised a schedule for Trinity that did not disturb Cathedral and Natchez High.

&uot;We took Natchez and Cathedral’s schedules, which they had already done, and scheduled our games so they wouldn’t conflict with their games,&uot; Carey said. &uot;We felt it would only be fair as the third team to wait and get permission to set our schedule until (Cathedral and Natchez) finished.&uot;

As it stands now the three schools play back-to-back six times during the season, which runs from late February to late April, and play consecutively three times only once.

That does not leave a lot of wiggle room for postponements, but Carey believes with a little tender, love and care it can be managed.

&uot;If there’s a rainout, that’s going to require the cooperation of all three schools,&uot; she said. &uot;The county owns (Liberty Park), but they don’t do the work for us to play baseball. That falls in the hands of parents and boosters.&uot;