Evan Heitman working on his Eagle project. Photo Contributed
Oakton High School freshman Evan Heitman completed his Eagle project with more than 50 volunteers by building seven bullpen pitching mounds at the Chantilly Youth Association Little League fields. Heitman was interested in giving back to the community since he'd been playing Little League baseball since he was 5 years old; he also umpired Little League games while he was in middle school. He approached CYA Little League manager Rob Fitzhugh, who was particularly interested in the idea because major improvements were being made to the fields at the same time.
Before the actual day of installation, Heitman met with his advisor to receive approval, prepared blueprints, and cut the wood portions for the mounds. When he and his volunteers met on March 17, they removed the existing mounds, leveled out the ground to make way for the new ones, assembled the wood frames and filed them with dirt. The mounds are better quality and are safer than the original ones; they are also less likely to erode. They will provide a meaningful addition to the fields and will allow the players to hone their pitching skills more effectively for years to come.