Unveiling ceremony scheduled for Eddie Coletta scoreboard at West Point

Megan Tomasic | Thursday, April 29, 2021 11:30 a.m.

Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review

Frank Omelka, and his son, Patrik Omelka, of Royal Signs and Services out of Damascus, Md., move the final piece of the new West Point softball field scoreboard on Friday in Hempfield. The scoreboard is being put up in memory of well-known Hempfield community member Eddie Coletta, who died in September 2020.

After months of fundraising, West Point Little League will unveil a new scoreboard Saturday honoring a longtime league volunteer.

Eddie Coletta was 43 when he passed away after battling AL amyloidosis, a rare disease that can lead to organ failure. The scoreboard bears Coletta’s name and a famous Coletta quote: “Change the world, kid.”

“It was pretty fitting with it being a little league softball field and with all the kids out there playing. It kind of gives a good message to all the younger kids that are coming up,” said Matt Maiers, who led the fundraising effort after becoming friends with Coletta during a Thanksgiving flag football game.

Coletta’s daughter played softball, and as a coach he helped lead the West Point softball team to state championships in 2013 and 2014, along with the 2015 state Little League championship. He was a staple in the Hempfield community, which rallied together for him last year when he was admitted to the hospital.

The memorial scoreboard honors the impact Coletta had on the softball community and provides a piece of necessary equipment for the league.

Fundraising for the project began in October when Maiers set up a GoFundMe page. The scoreboard cost $6,000, which was funded through donations and corporate sponsors.

The scoreboard was installed last week by Royal Signs and Services of Damascus, Md. Maiers is planning an unveiling ceremony for 9 a.m. Saturday before the start of a game as a way to get people together in honor of Coletta. The unveiling also will serve as a way for people to share stories about Coletta, Maiers said.

“It was unfortunate that Eddie passed, but it gave us a way to honor him and trying to give back to West Point a little bit in a place he did so much,” Maiers said. “It kind of was fitting that we were able to put him and his honor in the field there.”