Baseball team forced to travel during renovation

Hilary DubinStaff WriterOn a daily basis, the Samo boys’ baseball field is bustling with workers, trucks and fresh grass. Since Nov. 14, the field has been in the process of renovation. According to Dean of Students Catherine Baxter, the project is ideally going to be finished by Jan. 23.“I’m hoping that the new field will bring confidence to the kids and make people see the program in a different light,” Samo baseball coach Sheldon Philip-Guide said.Baxter said the renovation was originally meant to merely reseed the outfield and add restrooms and bike racks, but as the project gained more momentum, it became part of the city’s Civic Center Joint Use Project (CCJUP). What started as a $30,000 project is now a $200,000 project, with funding from various sources including the CCJUP, Safe Routes to School, the football team, the marching band, the baseball team and Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD).The renovation now includes a decomposed granite edge around the field for trucks to enter campus, new lazer-leveled sprinklers and a new discus area. According to Baxter, in addition to providing a way for trucks to enter campus, the decomposed granite edge brings the field up to date on current safety standards.Until the project is finished the baseball team has to practice off campus. The team alternates between practice at Marine Park and Clover Park.“It’s annoying to go off campus in the short run,” senior boys’ varsity captain David Tyre-Vigil said, “but in the long run it’s going to be a really nice field and that will be to our benefit.”According to Tyre-Vigil, students must provide their own transportation to get to practice. Some students drive, others get rides from their parents or walk. Philip-Guide said it’s often difficult for students to get to the field on time. The baseball team is only allotted an hour and a half to practice on certain days, so tardiness makes it hard to get a good practice in.Despite the difficulties, Philip-Guide believes the new field will only have positive effects on the team’s playing this season, as they will have a few weeks to practice on the new field before baseball season begins in February.“It’s hard to have to travel to another field, but I like having a brand new field with nice grass,” sophomore Jake Speakman said. “I think it’s worth it to be able to play on a nice field that is brand new for the season.”hdubin@thesamohi.com