Chabot Baseball 'Field of Dreams' Set for Spring Completion

With a radiant all-turf baseball facility set to open in early spring, Chabot head coach Will Tavis and his players are counting the days to when they can christen their very own Field of Dreams.

“It’s an exciting time,” Tavis said this week. “I know the guys we have this year are really, really excited, I think we’re all excited to just kind of get out there."

The $9 million baseball field project consists of the removal and replacement of the existing baseball field, bleachers, site lighting, dugouts, batting cages, bullpens, and scoreboard, along with the renovation of the adjacent restrooms and accessible pathways.

The field will remain as Wellman Field.

Bothman Construction is currently laying down the electrical conduits and field foundation, and looks to have the renovation complete in time for the April 10 baseball season, which has been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project is funded through the Chabot-Las Positas district’s Measure A Bond Program, approved by voters in 2016.

Talk about a home run for the Gladiators.

“It means quite a bit,” Tavis said of the new facility. “It’s something that our program has deserved for a very long time.”

Chabot baseball has featured some tremendous players over the past 60 years, along with four top-class head coaches - Gene Wellman, Don Christiansen, Steve Friend, and Tavis, in his 19th year in the program and the fourth as head coach.

The all-turf field makes the package complete.
“It’s really pretty special,” Tavis said. “It’s gonna have brand new pro style dugouts, new fencing, new backstops, new scoreboard, players’ clubhouse, three new covered batting cages, a pitching development area, new press box, and stadium seating.”

Moreover, the new look will help with recruiting.

“We want to create a facility that when players and recruits come out and look at the facility, they’ll say ‘Wow, this is something that I really to take advantage of and it’s something that I want to come utilize to enhance my skillset,’” Tavis said. “That was kind of one of our big statements in deciding what was going to be put in the facility.”

Then again, the essence of Chabot baseball is about much more than equipment and facilities. It's about player development and competition.

“The rich tradition of Chabot baseball has always been about the players,” Tavis says, “but I’m very excited for all the student-athletes and all the players who will come into our program and will have a field that they can take advantage of.”

GREAT GLADIATORS: How storied has the Gladiators baseball program been through the years?
Here’s a list of ballplayers with pro experience who are in the Chabot Sports Hall of Fame:
Larry Kowalishen (Tigers); Steve Lubratich (Padres); George Mitterwald (Twins, Cubs, A’s); Dick Tidrow (Indians, Yankees, Cubs); Chris Gilbert Ward (Cubs, White Sox); Erik Hendricks (Royals); Rick Rodriguez (A’s, Indians, Giants); Jeff Karsley (Blue Jays, Torino-Italy); Jim Englehardt (Angels); Doak A. Jones (A’s); Aaron Ledesma (Mets, Angels, Orioles, Tampa Bay, Rockies); Darren Lewis (A’s, Giants, Red Sox); Mike Antone (Twins); Steve Goodell (Marlins, Braves, Mariners, Rockies, Orioles, Twins); Brady Raggio (Cardinals, Diamondbacks); Ken Rodrigues (A’s); Brian Thompson (Astros); Ryan Sandoval (Mets); Nate Schierholtz (Giants, Phillies, Cubs, Washington Nationals, Hiroshima Toyo Carp); Ned Yost (Brewers, Rangers, Expos; manager Brewers, Royals); and Bip Roberts (Padres, Reds, Royals, Indians, Tigers, A’s).