Oak Hill reopens youth sports fields

The Round Rock Express helped repair damage from 2013 floods

Five months after flooding decimated its playing fields, the Oak Hill Youth Sports Association held opening days for baseball and softball in March.

Former Houston Astros outfielder Lance Berkman threw out the first pitch during the baseball opening day March 22. Olympic gold and silver medalist Cat Osterman threw out the first pitch during the softball opening day March 23.

The opening days capped off several months of community fundraising and reconstruction efforts, OHYSA President Stephen Bega said.

In October, heavy rains caused severe damage to the fields.

"We were told when it first happened that it would cost $100,000 to $150,000 to put everything back together," Bega said. "That was just a contractor going around, eyeballing [the damage]."

When OHYSA received more precise estimates, the bill was more than $150,000, he said.

The cost of what seemed like smaller projects—repairing fences or the parking lot—added up quickly.

"It seemed like everything we touched was $20,000. That was the magic number," he said.