New West Point Little League scoreboard to honor Hempfield's Eddie Coletta

When Matt Maiers saw an opportunity to honor Hempfield’s Eddie Coletta, he jumped at it.

Maiers is leading the effort to raise money for a new West Point Little League scoreboard that will bear Coletta’s name. Coletta spent several years volunteering at the organization where his daughter, Emma, now 18, played softball. Coletta passed away last month after battling AL amyloidosis, a rare disease that can lead to organ failure.

Maiers came up with the idea to honor Coletta — who helped lead the West Point softball team to state championships in 2013 and 2014, along with the 2015 state Little League championship — and to represent the impact he had on the softball community through the scoreboard that has long needed replacing.

“I think he would appreciate it,” said Maiers, 38, of Unity. He noted, however, that Coletta was often behind the scenes, making sure “everybody had fun.”

Maiers set up a GoFundMe account this week with hopes of raising $3,000 by the end of the year. So far, $1,675 has been raised. Another $3,000 will come from five corporate sponsors, which will be represented on the scoreboard.

“I think it’s unbelievable how people have reached out and how they’ve all come together,” Maiers said. “People I never even met sent me money to put toward the scoreboard. There’s people from all over the country, people from Florida, and local, from around here.”

Community members over the past few months have shown their support for the Coletta family through the Facebook page Everyone’s 4 Eddie that has more than 1,700 members. Just before he died, the community hosted a rally in his honor that drew more than 100 people to Hempfield Area High School, where Coletta graduated in 1995.

During the September rally, members of the high school marching band played “Sweet Caroline,” a nod to Coletta’s love for the University of Pittsburgh; cheerleaders chanted “Stay tough, Eddie, stay tough;” and members of the Youngwood Volunteer Fire Department livestreamed the event to the Colettas, who were at UPMC Shadyside. Coletta was a life member with the department.

Maiers and Coletta became friends after meeting five years ago during a Thanksgiving flag football game.

“Come to find out, he’s a big Pitt guy. I played football at Pitt, so it was an easy draw to him and we hit it off,” said Maiers, an offensive lineman for the Panthers from 2001-05. “We went to a couple Pitt games together and it’s just interesting how all our worlds kind of combined when my younger daughters came in to play softball. His daughter Emma was an ump for a couple of our games. Small world, I guess.”

Since his passing, Coletta has been honored by several people including softball teams he previously coached and through T-shirt sales with an Everyone’s 4 Eddie logo. Maiers hopes to have the scoreboard installed by May, before the start of the season. He plans on hosting a ceremony to celebrate the new scoreboard.

“It was neat to see all the people he had affected in just the softball world, and then with the fire department and all the other groups he’s been a part of,” Maiers said.