In honor of his younger sister, Mike Baker hit a home run that will benefit the Lyons Township High School softball program for years. The Stacy Ann Baker varsity softball field envisioned with his $3 million donation was officially dedicated, April 7, at the south campus in Western Springs.
Stacy, a 1985 LTHS graduate, softball standout and Brookfield native, died in a car accident at age 32 on July 23, 1999.
“I wish I could have done this when she was playing,” Baker said at the dedication. “My father (John) loved softball and that’s why my sister was in softball. However, thinking about it and actually doing it are two different things because you need the money.”
Mike Baker, a 1979 LTHS graduate now living in La Grange, has worked at the high school since 1993. He’s currently one of two supervisors for WLTL 88.1 FM, the school-operated radio station.
“Yes, I’ve thought about (this field) for a long time,” Baker said.
The vision began taking shape during the summer of 2023.
Principal Jen Tyrrell thanks Mike Baker for the donation for the Stacy Ann Baker softball field at Lyons Township Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Mike Baker receives a copy of the plaque that will make the field from Superintendent Brian Waterman during the Stacy Ann Baker softball field dedication at Lyons Township Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark)
Baker viewed the previous south campus softball diamond with 1985 LTHS graduate Gianna Galanti and Laura Scafidi, two of Stacy’s softball teammates, for input and ideas. Baker first approached the District 204 school board in August, 2023 and LTHS principal Dr. Jennifer Tyrrell the following month.
Galanti threw the dedication’s ceremonial first pitch.
“It was kind of surreal because (Stacy) would have liked to play on (this field) for sure,” she said. “In my mind, it was a done deal. It was just a matter of when it was going to happen and what it was going to look like. We don’t have many things at LT that have names on it. (Mike’s tribute) makes it just so much more memorable.”
Galanti and Scafidi were among Stacy’s numerous teammates and coaches from LTHS, travel softball, and rec leagues during and after high school. A video tribute to Stacy included memories and stories from the pair.
“Her laugh. She had like a snort when you got her going,” Galanti said. “She was just so alive. You’d be outside your locker in school and she’d just be-bop up and be like, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ She was really fast, athletic, great sense of humor.”
Stacy was a pitcher and center fielder for the Lions. She was named Most Valuable Player and earned a softball scholarship to Northern Illinois.
1985 LTHS graduates Laura (Wood) Mesmer, Stacy’s catcher, Amanda Zayner and Susan Svehla and 1986 graduate Michaeleen Nutley also attended. Mesmer, Zayner and Nutley grew up in Brookfield.
“(Stacy) was a great person and a great friend. I always went to her birthday parties when we were little,” Mesmer said. “What an amazing thing for Mike to do.”
Nutley teaches at Ogden School in La Grange and is the longtime softball coach at Park Junior High in LaGrange Park.
“As a teacher in District 102 and seeing my former players on the field, this has been an amazing sight to see,” Nutley said. “We’re super-happy to see all of this and very proud of Stacy and the contribution she made to the softball world.”
The dedication preceded the Lions’ 10-3 victory over Leyden because Scafidi is the Eagles’ varsity assistant coach. The 1986 Oak Park and River Forest graduate became high-school friends with Stacy through the same traveling team.
Current Lions only had been on the field once before – the previous day in a 13-3 loss to Montini. With construction still ongoing, the Lions’ home and season opener, March 19, instead was played at the Ball Park at Rosemont.
Leyden and Lyons Township’s varsity teams line up before their game on the newly dedicated Stacy Ann Baker softball field at Lyons Township Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Lyons Township parent Paula Struwing records a video tribute during the Stacy Ann Baker softball field dedication at Lyons Township Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark)
“(LTHS players) told me they like this field better than Rosemont,” Baker said. “The stands in Rosemont are much bigger. (But) they were talking about the field.”
Besides beautiful turf, there’s the state-of-the-art video scoreboard in left field. There also are upgraded bleachers, a press box and its own lighting, making it even more attractive for postseason events.
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction for our program. It’s super-cool to see a family dedicate something so big and have faith in us to perform,” LTHS senior shortstop Ava Jacklin said. “Especially for someone who has played at that old varsity field, it’s awesome. A little bit of rain (there), we’d be canceled for the whole day.”
Senior Maddy Pieroni hit the Lions’ first home run at the field against Leyden, a two-run shot to dead center in the first inning for a 2-2 tie.
“I was ecstatic. With the new fences I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think it was going to go over and it did,” Pieroni said. “All of the fans were in the stands, it’s a feeling I’ve never felt before. It almost felt professional to me and not a regular high school game.”
At the time of her death, Stacy was preparing to run her first Chicago Marathon that October. Mesmer said Stacy was buried in the purple dress she had purchased for a Y2K party for New Year’s Eve 2000.
Galanti was among the group that ran the 1999 marathon in Stacy’s honor wearing commemorative T-shirts. Friends also began raising funds integral in establishing the high school’s Stacy Ann Baker Memorial Scholarship. That’s awarded annually to a female LTHS senior in extracurricular activities based on outstanding character, citizenship and integrity.
From 1995 to 2010, Baker also worked three jobs to gain further funds.
“Because of those three jobs, because of other people I worked with, I was fortunate enough (to get the money),” Baker said.
Galanti also worked at LTHS for decades and retired in 2023. As an LTHS softball player, Galanti recalled before one game how she as first baseman bleached only the left side of her hair, pitcher Stacy dyed the middle and third baseman Carrie Tucek bleached only the right side – all to the bewilderment of then-head coach Deb Snead.
“I don’t know who came up with it. It was probably Stacy,” Galanti said. “When you put us all together (bleached), we covered the whole infield – our way of saying we’d take care of the infield.”
The new field should create many more memories for the Lions.
“I love how you get a view at all of the other sports (like baseball, tennis). We were kind of secluded in that (southwest) corner,” Pieroni said.
“Also it brings the energy up. We have a whole new field and we’re dedicating our sport to Stacy Baker and their family for all of their kindness and dedication. It’s almost like we want to play for them as well.”