As new digs go, the Mifflin County Huskies are digging their new homes as both the baseball and softball teams are settling into their new confines — First Quality Field for softball and Capouillez Field for baseball.

They are certainly a vast improvement over the previous facilities and are the first to be completed and unveiled at the Husky Multi-Sports Facilities Complex.

The only spring sports that didn’t get to enjoy the comforts of their new home were the girls lacrosse and boys and girls track and field teams. Delays with the construction of Marcal Paper Field forced those Huskies athletes to compete on the road this spring.

While the sports complex was greeted with concern and questions, the response from the community now seems more positive. Players and coaches are finally playing on first-rate fields, and the fall sports will soon take center stage as venerable Mitchell Field will be replaced with Kish Bank Field at Donald M. Chapman III Stadium. From the shiny new fieldhouses — named Geisinger Field House at the main stadium and Fleet Reps Field House at the old Highland Park Elementary School — to the Standard Steel Press Box and concession stands — named for Del and Rose Guerrini and Clayton Homes — everything is top-notch.

Even the scoreboards are sharp, sponsored by the Lake Dealerships and Standard Steel. It might take a few seasons to learn all the names of the new fields.

The complex is shaping up to be something that Mifflin County will be very proud of. This has been a selling point from the outset.

While the $18.5 million price tag made folks understandably nervous, the support from the community, as well as funding from state grants were used to pay for the project.

The return on this investment — once the complex is completed — will be felt for years, even many decades, to come.

Visiting players and their fans, and their families might cheer against the Huskies, but their spending for gas or grub will fuel the economy for area businesses.

Businesses throughout the Juniata Valley will reap the benefits as who knows where visitors will come from — north from Harrisburg, south from State College, east from Altoona, and west from Selinsgrove.

After the final out or buzzer, these hungry fans will flock to area eateries or gas stations to fill their stomachs or vehicles before heading back down the highway.

If you haven’t checked out the new baseball and softball facilities, there are still a few weeks to do so. For the efforts of everyone involved, we say congratulations on a job well done. There’s still work to be done, but what’s here looks great. So, cheers! And play ball!