LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – When players on the Liberty High School baseball team stepped onto their newly rebuilt home field for the first time this season, their reaction was pure disbelief.

“Kids were like, wow, this is crazy. We’re getting a new field,” says Todd Smith, Liberty High School athletic director and dean of students. “I have heard a couple kids say, ‘I didn’t know we had a baseball team’ because [games] are played at the township park.”

That disconnect is no more. With a rebuilt infield and two new dugouts, the varsity baseball team has a home to call its own – on campus, visible and brimming with community pride. The project, completed in just over a month, was made possible by DeSalvo Construction, which rallied more than a dozen local contractors and suppliers to donate time, materials and labor.

“Administration just wanted to have a home for our kids that was on our property, on our campus, something they could make their own,” Smith says.

The effort began with support from Jason Kidd of the Mahoning Valley Spiders, who funded the infield renovation. Then Smith reached out to Joe DeSalvo of DeSalvo Construction to ask about new dugouts. The response was immediate.

“I think three days later, I had architectural drawings in my email for new dugouts,” Smith says. Four days after that, construction began.

It all cost the Liberty Local School District nothing. It was handled entirely by DeSalvo Construction and its partners.

“It was a pretty easy yes once they asked,” says Joe DeSalvo. “Being a graduate of Liberty High School and a baseball player having grown up playing on those fields … it was painfully obvious that they needed to be done and we wanted to try to help out as much as we could.”

In addition to DeSalvo Construction, contributions came from:

  • BSHM Architects – Mary Dennis.
  • Estherlee Fence – Dave Rutecki.
  • Cleveland Vicon – Jeff Rowlands and Scott Kidd.
  • City Concrete – John Annichenni.
  • DelliQuadri Landscaping – Marc and Carmen DelliQuadri.
  • CR Electric Inc. – Jason Rubin.
  • Masonry Materials Plus – Teri Storey.
  • Carter Lumber – AJ Baltes.
  • Erb Construction Inc. – Jason Erb.
  • Miller Yount Paving Inc. – David Grayson.
  • Metalcrafts Inc. – Bill Schrieber.
  • Leetonia Steel – Jon Rydarowicz.

The result is a professional-looking facility with sizable dugouts that improve aesthetics and function and reduce long-term maintenance costs for the district.

“They’re massive,” Smith says. “They’re 30-by-12. The home side is 42-by-12 because it has a 12-by-12 storage bin.”

DeSalvo credits the speed and quality of the project to strong coordination and community spirit. BSHM Architects, which provided the drawings pro bono, helped streamline the permitting process. The Trumbull County building and zoning departments turned around approvals in less than 48 hours.

“Jason Erb of Erb Construction was a huge asset,” DeSalvo says. “Jason used to work for DeSalvo Construction and that really helped us get our arms around the project quickly. The timing was great.”

Erb Construction handled much of the demolition, concrete work and structural framing.“We did all the demo, dug the footers, poured the footers, laid the block, poured the concrete floors,” says Erb, company president. “We framed the roof, we did all the metal work. The only thing we really had somebody else do was the fencing.”

The project wrapped just in time for the 2025 baseball season, allowing all 22 varsity players to enjoy the field “The weather was extremely rainy this spring,” DeSalvo notes. “That was probably the biggest challenge.”

Still, the schedule held. The impact on students was immediate. “Our kids were kind of overwhelmed with pride at the ability to come here and play in their place that they can call their own,” Smith says. “They were able to host practices. They knew they had a field at all times.”

The upgrades also sent a clear message.

“I think it goes back to community involvement and pride,” Smith says. “Our students were able to see how the community could get behind them.”

For DeSalvo, the experience reflected a broader culture of support in the Mahoning Valley’s construction industry.

“The trade partners, subcontractors and suppliers of this valley are all family-owned Valley residents,” DeSalvo says. “It’s amazing how often we may ask for a little help here or there and it doesn’t take much convincing.”

Philanthropy, he added, is a core value at DeSalvo Construction. “Liberty is our home,” he says. “We want to continue to support the community that has really helped support us. We really do have a great network of business professionals in this Valley.”

And if a tornado ever touches down in Liberty, DeSalvo knows exactly where he’s heading. “I was joking around with somebody,” he says. “If there’s a tornado in Liberty, I’m going to run up to the dugouts and hide in there, because they’re not going anywhere.”

Pictured at top: Liberty High School Athletic Director Todd Smith stands in front of the school’s new baseball field.