Collis Field finally ready for opener
| Friday, Apr 03 2009 11:08 PM
Last Updated Friday, Apr 03 2009 11:08 PM
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It's as though the gods were playing a trick on Bakersfield College baseball coach Tim Painton on Thursday night.
Returning from the Renegades' game at Los Angeles Pierce College, Painton and his team arrived at their locker room at Gerry Collis Field and were horrified.
A malfunction prevented an infield sprinkler from shutting off. Painton estimated that water ran for more than 6 hours.
"The infield grass was completely under water, and the water had worked back to the backstop and flooded everywhere," Painton said.
This was discovered less than 48 hours before BC's first on-campus game this season, tonight's 6 p.m. game against Pierce.
Painton and his players spent much of Friday getting the field in shape. It was playable by Friday afternoon and is ready to go for tonight, Painton said.
Gerry Collis Field is part of the $2.3 million Dean and Adah Gay Sports Complex, a major refurbishing of the baseball and softball fields at the southwest corner of the campus.
Several delays killed Painton's hopes that the Renegades could have played on the field when the season started in late January.
But now, the day the field will finally host a BC game, Painton is proud of what he sees, the extra-damp dirt notwithstanding.
"I hope our kids feel like it's opening day because that's what it is for us," Painton said. "Gosh, we're almost 30 games into this and we haven't played at home."
The new grandstands are complete. A new backstop was finished earlier this week and new fencing is up. Power was restored to the scoreboards earlier this week, but the line was cut Friday because of the sprinkler issue.
"The guy's out here now trying to get that fixed," Painton said early Friday afternoon.
Painton noted that the landscaping is not completed, but he is very happy with the way the facility looks.
"It's beautiful," he said. "It's something that is probably unheard of in community college baseball in the state of California.
"Stadiums are going up in other places. I've seen Mount SAC, which is very nice. But when this is completed, I haven't seen anything that matches this."
Painton added: "What started out as a seating project has turned into a much larger project. ... It will be very special when it's completed."
BC's only in-town games this season have been a handful of games at Sam Lynn Ball Park.
Except for two games next week that will be played in Visalia as part of the College of the Sequoias tournament, all remaining BC games this season will be played at home.
For tonight, admission is free, although spectators can purchase reserved seats.
No pets and no lawn chairs will be allowed, according to athletic director Jan Stuebbe, who added that the Gay family will be honored prior to tonight's first pitch.
