The work doesn’t end for San Benito High School’s varsity
baseball team after the third out in the bottom of the seventh
inning. In fact, the team does just as much work maintaining its
field as it does playing on it.
Hollister – The work doesn’t end for San Benito High School’s varsity baseball team after the third out in the bottom of the seventh inning. In fact, the team does just as much work maintaining its field as it does playing on it.
Keeping the infield level, the grass lush and green and the dugout clean has more to do with pride than performance, Coach Michael Luna said.
“It’s all about pride. The top programs around the CCS (Central Coast Section) have good fields,” he said. “There is a direct connection between the quality of your field and the quality of your program.”
A well-groomed field is also important for the players’ performance. Having a level infield makes it easier to field ground balls because the players can predict just how the ball is going to bounce, Luna said.
In order to make their field better, the team raked in $10,000 from several fundraisers last year to re-sod the infield, put new dirt around the bases and build a nicer home team dugout. Such improvements were badly needed, Luna said.
“That field gets so much usage, even the PE classes use the field,” he said. “So every year we have to replace it with more dirt and sod.”
In between major field improvements, the team performs a variety of routine upkeep tasks.
“Every day after practice we spend 45 minutes prepping the field for the following day,” Luna said. “We water, drag the infield and take care of the bases. Each player has their own responsibilities.”
Working on the field every day also has other advantages.
“They learn responsibility, dependability and pride,” Luna said. “We want to make (the field) as nice as possible – you want people to come by and have good things to say about your field, but I believe it makes them play better, too.”
In addition to routine upkeep, players and parents also get together two or three times each year to spend a day making sure the field is in top condition. The team paints, picks weeds and fills the infield with sand to make it level.
Kraig Klauer, who has two sons on the team, believes everyone benefits from the extra work.
“It teaches a little bit of respect,” he said. “And they’re the ones who benefit from it – it definitely builds character.”
Klauer, like most baseball parents, also has to help out.
“Each parent tries to help out in their own way,” he said. “I try to help out both on the field and off the field – it benefits the whole program.”
Players also have to fundraise for field improvements, Luna said. This year, players have already raised more than $7,000 by hosting a fashion show and selling tri-tip to pay for the next round of upgrades. Luna is looking to build a new visitors’ dugout and install artificial turf in a horseshoe shape in front of the dugouts. And while fundraising helps the team keep a nice field, it is also a learning experience for the players, Luna said.
“This helps them understand what it means to work hard,” he said.
Luna is hoping that hard work will pay off next season, even though the team’s first game is still two months away. He is excited about the season and looking forward to many good games.
“We have a good group of players this season and the chemistry is definitely there,” he said. “We’re a little thin on pitching, but we’re going to be very competitive.”
