After years of development, Cranston Western Little League added a new indoor training facility to its complex up at Hope Road that opened its doors earlier this month for its players and coaches. The 32-by-50-feet structure features two brand new batting cages that will provide the league year-round access to training.

Procaccianti Companies, which is run by CWLL Hall of Famer Jim Procaccianti, provided financial aid to get the project off the ground last year while the league raised the rest of the funds. The total cost for the building and its amenities totaled over $100,000, which was money well-spent according to CWLL President Steve Piscopiello.

“Jim has been very active in the league and has always been nice to us. He was generous again, providing us with financial assistance and then we were with aggressive fundraising the rest of it,” said Piscopiello. “We wanted to make it complete, we wanted to turf the inside, get good cages, have the place alarmed, we had to put in a fire system per the city. We wanted all the bells and whistles and we were fortunate enough to get the donations to make it happen.”

CWLL will be limiting the building’s use to exclusively league members to start but is open to widening its availability to other leagues and ages going forward. CWLL hosts the annual 10-year-old New England regional tournament each August and is excited to offer its use to those visiting clubs when the time comes. The league also plans to fully insulate the interior of the structure in the fall.

“Our teams and our alumni are our priority. In the first year, we want to keep it in the family as much as possible. It’s a huge selling point (for the regional tournament), kids can practice there while other games are being played or during rain delays,” Piscopiello said.

CWLL has already seen the facility be put to use and has had a steady flow of players in and out to prepare for the upcoming season, which begins on Opening Day on April 27.

“They’re excited to be hitting baseballs so early. We didn’t expect the amount of people interested in hitting to be as high as it was. Indoor hitting facilities are at a premium,” said Piscopiello.