Beautiful Chabot Ballpark Rounding Third

By Mike Wood
Time is drawing near for Chabot’s baseball team to be able to use their magnificent renovated stadium and field.
So close that anticipation level is approaching a frenzy.
“It’s so close that our kids are foaming at the mouth to get out there,” said Gladiators baseball coach Will Tavis, who has checked out his new outdoor workspace. “You go out there and it’s very tempting.”
The renovations — easily the most extensive in the college’s six-decade history — are nearly complete. So for the players, it’s like seeing your Christmas present but not yet being able to open it.
Soon, that metaphoric “don’t open until Christmas” sign will come off and players can practice on the field. A gift indeed for a group of players who have been working safely and with hearty dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the biggest things that they have shown is tremendous character and not victimizing themselves with the trials and tribulations of this pandemic,” Tavis said. “We have this saying: ‘Improvise, overcome and adapt,’ and they have made the best of the situation.”
That means practicing at area high schools and other local facilities until they get the go-ahead. They have been diligently adhering to safety guidelines and social distancing.
“The Chabot senior administration really has been fantastic about getting us on the field safely,” Tavis said, whose players have been able to scrimmage among themselves for the past couple of weeks as restrictions lessened. Before then, it meant working out in whatever safe fashion possible, whether the football field or other facilities.
“The guys have been fantastic about being flexible,” he said.
Meanwhile, finishing touches are being made on the team room, batting cages, landscaping and paving access routes to the stadium. All making for an amazing setting for the future of Chabot baseball.
“I think the opportunity it brings to potential players is that in the near future they are going to play in a state of the art baseball stadium,” Chabot Dean of Health, Kinesiology & Athletics
Kevin Kramer said. “There’s no excuse for bad hoppers anymore,” he chuckled in amazement of the pristine all-turf playing field, which will remain named in honor of Chabot coaching legend Gene Wellman.
Glimpses of the renovations can be seen in photos posted on Twitter. Discussions are underway whether to do a virtual opening online, while seeing if and when gathering guidelines are revised to allow some attendance for a live ceremony.
“We don’t want to hide it,” said Kramer proudly of the facility.
The $9 million project has provided a vast amount of new upgrades, from the playing field, bleachers, lighting, dugouts, batting cages and bullpens and scoreboard. It’s funded by
the 2016 Measure A Bond for Chabot and Las Positas colleges. Work has been steadily progressing after being delayed by the pandemic, and now the finish line is in clear sight.
“This whole effort is a testament to Athletic Director Jeff Drouin, and to Dale Wagoner, Vice President of Administrative Services, who was the Dean before me, and Stacy Thompson, Vice President of Academic Services, to commit to our student-athletes,” Kramer said. “This would not have happened without our senior administration.”
Wellman Field will continue to be a great way to honor the architect of the Chabot baseball program. Gene Wellman, who coached at Chabot from 1963-76 and spent 26 years as athletic director, passed away in 2016, four years after the dedication ceremony to name the field for him.
“We want to keep the tradition going,” Tavis said. “Gene Wellman was the first one, the one who created the tradition of Chabot College baseball.”
Tavis said he would like to see the facilities named for Steve Friend, another Chabot baseball coaching icon. Friend, who remains on the Chabot facility, coached the Gladiators from 1989 until four seasons ago when Tavis took over as head coach after gaining valuable knowledge as a longtime assistant under Friend.
“We want to pay tribute to the great Steve Friend,” Tavis said. “I would like it to be Steve Friend Facility or the Steve Friend Confines.
“He has been an unbelievable resource for me and our program. I’m very fortunate to have coached under him. The knowledge I learned from him were amazing lessons about not only coaching baseball but in coaching people. There were a lot of life lessons. He’s truly been a mentor to me and someone I feel is my family.”
Like so many community college programs throughout the state, the Gladiators opted out of playing games this spring, and just plan to participate in a couple of scrimmages, with dates forthcoming. It would avoid any possible eligibility issues in a shortened season that would have few options for opponents anyhow, and prepare for a full season coming next year in the new facility.
Despite the inability to play games and earn lofty statistics, players have still have made their hard work create avenues and opportunities for the next level. Tavis said some second-year athletes are punching their ticket to places like Sac State and Nevada-Reno.
With hard work and continued improvement, Tavis said there are a few players who could eventually break toward baseball draft potential and perhaps add to the long list of Chabot alumni to play in the Major Leagues, from the likes of Dick Tidrow, Ned Yost, Bip Roberts, Nate Schierholtz, Mark Davis, Darren Lewis, George Mitterwald, Aaron Ledesma and many others.
The work ethic also is evident with academics.
“Our student-athletes are getting the work done in the classroom,” Kramer said, thrilled with the effort amid distance learning. He pointed to the grades for this fall semester, with around 40 student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA and approximately 85 in the 3.0-3.9 range. “Chabot is not a place where you come to get your athletics and get out.”
Meanwhile the Gladiators will continue to practice safely and follow protocols and have a ceremony when the situation allows.
“We want to make sure players and the community can come in and see it complete and whole,” Kramer said.
“We do want to have a grand opening, and we want to get on it as soon as it is possible,” Tavis said. “It will be a nice day and well deserved.”