Story by Donna Thornton donna@southerntorch.com

Northeast Alabama Community College marked the completion and opening of its new softball stadium by naming it after a state leader with strong local ties who was instrumental, NACC officials said, in bringing the project to fruition.

Signage was unveiled christening “Nathaniel Ledbetter Stadium” Friday morning, before a gathering of state and local officials, and members of Ledbetter’s family and the NACC family.

Ledbetter called the facility a tremendous asset to the community. He said he recalled getting a call from Campbell saying he was thinking about putting girl’s softball in at Northeast.

“My comment to him was you couldn’t do it at a better place because of all the state championships that have been in this area. It’s been remarkable,” he said, the number of championship teams in Jackson and DeKalb counties.

“One thing I told him was ‘let’s do it right,’” Ledbetter said. “Let’s not take any shortcuts.” Ledbetter said he told Campbell that he and Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston would try to get some money for the project.

“I certainly think by doing this, it’s going to help enrollment at the college. I think we’ve already seen that,” he said. “I think it helps our kids be able to stay at home and participate in athletics, and it give them an opportunity to grow into something we want them to be.”

His goal was that the project not be done half-way, he said.

“Man, didn’t they do a great job?” he asked.

And as to the name of the stadium, Ledbetter thanked the NACC board for the honor. 

Ledbetter recalled when he was told of plans to name the stadium after him. He said it was not necessary. “You don’t have to do that; I just want it to be the best we can have because our kids deserve it, just like the kids in Oxford,” he said.

That’s where the stadium "roof" came in. They’ve got one in Oxford, he said – why shouldn’t we have one here.

“If you know me, you know I’m not big on trying to create credit or take credit. I think it’s always a team effort. When they talked about naming the facility after me, I wasn’t really ex

“That’s not who I am.

“But I got to thinking about it,” he said, and thought it should have been named after his wife Teresa, who supports him and makes sure his tie.

“This is not about me,” Ledbetter said. “It’s about my grandkids. It’s about my kids. It’s about my friends, who’ve always supported me,” he said, getting a little emotional as he spoke.

“There are so many people I could thank,” the lawmaker said. “Certainly my staff should not go unnoticed.” He said several staffers drove up from Montgomery for this special occasion. 

He noted that he saw people in the crowd that he’d grown up with, people who had supported him for years.

“This is about you,” Ledbetter said. “You’re the reason I’m where I’m at. You’re the people that put me in this position.”

He said he was pleased to see his kids and grandkids there. “This is about them, and their grandkids,” he said.

Also speaking during the event were two-year schools Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker, Vice Chair Valarie Gray, of the ACCS Board of Directors, Livingston, Rep. Mike Kirkland, NACC Athletic Director Jimmy Kolaitis, and NACC Head Softball Coach Joe Guthrie.

The members of NACC’s inaugural softball team were present, too.

With this facility, Campbell said, NACC has one of the best in the country. “We’ll soon start construction on the soccer field that adjoins,” Campbell said, with work coming as well on walking trails, to create a recreational complex on that part of campus, complete with picnic tables so people can come out and enjoy themselves while watching softball or soccer games.

Campbell said NACC’s staff was involved in the project: The business office handled paper work “and wrote the checks. That was very important,” he said. Others were involved in picking out furnishings and paint colors. Dean of Instruction Barbara Kilgore designed logos and selected brick for the columns.

Not only is the stadium state-of-the-art; Campbell the 10,000 square foot training facility is beyond compare among softball programs – even those at Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

“I always like it when we can beat Alabama and Auburn,” Campbell said.

It’s equipped with locker rooms, office space for coaches, batting cages, pitching machines, weight training facilities, a huge locker room, physical therapy devices and also a Proteus Motion machine. Campbell explained that’s a machine that can help diagnose player injuries before they show up.

The stadium was a $9 million project. It was designed by McKee & Associates and constructed by P&C Construction.

Sports Turf handled field installation.

Mustang Field has artificial turf and features LED lighting and a digital scoreboard. It has grandstands that are covered – that “roof” Ledbetter referred to – and seat 400 spectators.