Play ball!

Martin Marietta's Sawyer Quarry team donates material for safe, new road for local Little League

The flowers are blooming, the grass is growing, and baseball season is in full swing. And, with help from the team at Sawyer Quarry, children and families will be a little bit safer while enjoying America’s favorite pastime this spring.

The team at the Oklahoma quarry near the Texas border recently collaborated with its onsite customer (Cummins Asphalt Co.) and a local trucking company (Aggregate Haulers) to donate approximately 100 tons of asphalt millings to a nonprofit baseball field for a new road and parking area.

Located in Diana, Texas, the field—primarily used as a Little League facility for the Dixie Baseball League—needed a new paved road so that all visitors, families, and maybe a few future MLB all-stars could travel safely to and from practices and games.

After learning of the need, the Sawyer Quarry team and their partner vendors sprang into action, delivering the needed materials from across state lines at a distance of more than 130 miles.

“The project was incredibly satisfying,” said Senior Environmental Engineer Michael Sileven, who helped organize the effort. “The completed road looks great and has made it much safer for vehicles to get in and out of the ball fields.”

And, like any good baseball win, this was truly a group effort.

Coordination took approximately two weeks to set up, and the millings were delivered in one day. A parent from the Diana Baseball Association brought equipment to spread the product, a task that was completed in just two days.

Though the local Martin Marietta team accepted no payment for the material or the work, the company’s logo is prominently displayed at the ball field’s exit, reminding the community about Martin Marietta’s role as a good and trusted partner.

“It is great to help our neighbors,” Sileven said. “Being a part of projects like this really shows that we aren’t just a mining company.”

Martin Marietta’s logo is prominently displayed at the exit of the ball field.

The Sawyer Quarry team and a pair of partner vendors helped provide a safe new road for Little Leaguers and their fans.

Now, as dozens of little sluggers take to the diamond, families and organizers are expressing their gratitude to the company and all who worked to improve the ball field.

“I want to share my deepest thanks with Martin Marietta, Cummings Asphalt and Aggregate Haulers for organizing and providing the millings for our new driveway,” said President of the Diana Baseball Association Mark Oliver in a thank you letter. “Our small communities simply couldn’t meet the needs without support from each of you. For you to come from such a long way away to do this makes it even more appreciated.”

Sawyer Quarry Plant Manager Tod Jones said the distance was not a challenge and that, at the end of the day, the project was a simple job with a big impact.

“We should never lose sight of just how much projects like this mean to a small community,” he said.