Feature News

Donation proves Belletini both a Cardinal parent and softball superfan

Apr 19, 2019

Belletini's gift provides Shanower Family Field and softball team with new press box

Lou Belletini is a North Central College fan through and through.  
 
First and foremost, he’s a fan of his daughter’s College experience. Psychology major Rachele Belletini ’19 “loves North Central and has been 100 percent happy with it,” he said.  
 
Another reason he’s a fan—the Cardinal softball team. Rachele has played on the team for four years, and Belletini has attended nearly every home game. He even threw out the first pitch at this year’s season opener.  
 
But he took on the status of College superfan when he realized that Shanower Family Field and the team needed a press box—and made it his mission to provide one. 

A donation born of love and respect

Belletini is president of Bake’s Steel Erectors, Inc., a commercial steel company that has worked on several North Central buildings over the years, including the Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center. Though the firm has been busy with jobs that include a large project at Wrigley Field, Belletini ensured that it donated all the labor and materials required to build the structure, roof and siding of the College’s new softball press box.  
 
“I’ve coached softball since my oldest daughter was eight years old,” he said. “I know girls are constantly battling the sense that male teams get more attention and better facilities. Adding the press box was something I could do to make the North Central facility even nicer for Rachele and her team.”  
 
Mike Hudson, vice president for operations at North Central, described Belletini’s involvement very simply: “Lou is a hero and this project wouldn’t get completed without his generosity.” Hudson’s team handled the design and permitting aspects of the project.  He added, “What Lou did is really unique, something not everyone can do. And it shows how much Lou values his daughter’s experience and the program.”

North Central students working inside the newly-donated press box at Shanower Family Field.

Graduate assistant Adam Prokop ’18/M ’20 and Lexi Frederick ’19 work for the sports information department inside the press box.

Ensuring the future

From the press box, the College’s sports information staff can monitor and record games more effectively and efficiently, and ultimately may be equipped to broaden the scope of in-game coverage. “At several of our competition venues, we’ve been able to develop supplemental tools that help extend the game-day experience beyond the physical campus,” said Clark Teuscher, North Central’s sports information director. “The addition of the press box at Shanower Family Field is a big step toward our goal of doing the same for the softball program here.”

“I just want to support the College that Rachele loves so much,” said Belletini. “I hope this will help her team as they move into the future ... and also help the College attract and recruit other great students.”