RED SPRINGS — Thursday night wasn’t a great night for the Red Springs baseball and softball programs, with both suffering blowout losses in their Southeastern Athletic Conference openers against Midway.

But even in the disappointment of defeat, a palpable renewed enjoyment exists as the games are played at a great new place they can call their own.

The Red Devils have finally begun playing their home games at the Red Springs High School Athletic Complex, a new, state-of-the-art facility which gives the school ownership of its baseball and softball facilities after decades spent playing at other, off-campus fields.

“The fans are loving it, even the opposing teams are loving it,” Red Springs baseball coach Matt Strickland said. “The announcers are into it. It’s just a different atmosphere than what the Red Springs baseball program is used to. The energy is definitely there, and it definitely is better than what it has been in the past. The baseball players, they’re enjoying it, and it really helps having the fans engaged and rooting them on. The facility itself, we’re loving it, man.”

Besides just getting to play their games in a nicer facility, the new venue has seen more fans attending games to support the baseball team, off to a 4-2 start, and the softball team, which is 1-2.

“I think it’s way better,” junior baseball player Tim Hammonds said. “I think the fans are more energized and more into the game, and they want to know more about the game, because over there it was not really good, but over here they learn about the game and hype the fans up, have a good time.”

Both teams previously played at fields belonging to Red Springs Recreation, with baseball using Tom Cope Park and softball using a couple of different facilities — all of them off campus.

Now, not only is the proximity to campus closer — the complex is adjacent to the existing school campus — but the programs also now have a sense of ownership, playing on a field that is their own.

“Building a foundation, knowing that you’ve got somewhere that you can call home, coming to a facility that you know is top of the line, knowing people are going to want to come see you and see the new place, and making sure you take care of it, it’s everything you want to see while you’re out here,” Red Devils softball coach Chelsi Oxendine said.

“Tom Cope, it was like a community thing. This is like a Red Springs High School thing, this is ours,” Hammonds said. “We own this and built this from the ground up. It took a few years but it came out good, and we love every piece of it.”

For the Red Devils seniors, the chance to finish their high school careers at the new complex makes their final season all the more special.

“It’s really exciting, I’m really happy. It’s really nice. I’m glad that we could use it our senior year, at least I get one year on it,” softball senior Sydney Bell said. “At least we’ve got our own field now and we don’t have to go to the community field. … Now everybody doesn’t look at us crazy when they come to our field, because it’s not messed up and stuff. It makes us feel like we have something now.”

While the new facility has some added maintenance needs, the program has embraced that work as part of the experience.

“We’re treating it like a baby, we’re taking care of it, we’re doing everything that needs to be done, the guys are loving it and they’re respecting it,” Strickland said. “They’re working on it 24/7 after every game, after every practice, and it’s not even a job to them because they enjoy this field and they’re very appreciative of a million-dollar facility like this, and we’re going to take care of it too.”

In Thursday’s baseball game, Midway (7-0, 2-0 Southeastern) scored four first-inning runs and put the game away with a five-run third to take a 10-0 lead. The Red Devils were held to five hits offensively; Hammonds, who also pitched for the Red Devils, led the team with two hits.

“Defensively, we just didn’t have it tonight; we made way too many mistakes and way too many errors,” Strickland said. “Tim didn’t pitch a terrible game, and we should have held them a little closer than that. … Offensively, we just couldn’t get the hits to come around, we just couldn’t get hit after hit; it was a hit every now and then and we didn’t have many total on the night. It was was just a tough night for Red Springs baseball, but we’re going to come back and we’re going to be better.”

The Red Devils softball team was no-hit over five innings by Midway’s Sarah Autry; the Raiders (5-1, 2-0 Southeastern) scored seven runs in the third and eight in the fourth en route to the victory. Telinda Pate, in the circle for Red Springs, struck out three.

“Defense didn’t back her up, that’s pretty much what lost us the game,” Oxendine said. “My pitcher was giving them something to hit and there just wasn’t any defense. But a freshman pitcher only walked one person, so you can’t beat that. … Hopefully they take this loss as a lesson and work harder, come back stronger the next game.”

Both Red Devils teams are younger rosters experiencing some growing pains at times this season. But both are also looking to build for the future, setting a foundation with their underclassmen to result in better results by the end of their high school careers.

Playing games now at the new facility is a part of that foundation, too.

“These kids are motivated because of the facility, these young kids,” Strickland said. “I’m getting players that should’ve been playing years ago, and I’m getting new players more interested because of the facility. It’s definitely helped out in numerous ways.”

Lots of fans have already come to see the new facility for themselves; plenty more will see it for the first time next month, when Red Springs hosts the Robeson County Slugfest baseball and softball tournaments April 8-11.

“New facilities, you can’t beat it — the top of the line,” Oxendine said. “I feel like everybody in the county should come out and try to experience it during Slugfest, if nothing else.”