Proud of their premises

Dandelion-infested outfields and bumpy infields often come to mind when thinking about high school baseball diamonds.

However, the traditional view of high school fields being second rate is slowly disappearing as teams across the area put in the hard work to raise the level of the playing surfaces they call home.

But it's the day-to-day work that can make the biggest difference. Unlike virtually any other high school sport, the sight of players and coaches working side by side to rake and tend to fields is a common one in baseball.

"In football somebody takes care of lining the field for you, and in basketball they even roll your damn basketballs out on the floor for you," Dundee-Crown baseball coach Fred Bencriscutto said. "Our kids know their work isn't done when they're done playing. They know they've got another half hour of work after every game and every practice just so they have a nice facility to play on."

Added Larkin coach Doug Ellett: "It's a very interesting phenomenon because no other sport puts in the time like that. I do know we baseball coaches are unique in that every coach I know takes a lot of pride in their field."

Every area team deserves credit for the improving playing conditions. Bad hops and wayward bounces seem to be fewer and farther between as fields that used to have unflattering reputations continue to make strides.

However, several schools seem to be at the head of the class when it comes to upgraded facilities.

Among those on the cutting edge is St. Charles North, which in recent years has made a number of changes that include the construction of spacious brick dugouts, a new press box complete with a stereo system and a new inning-by-inning scoreboard in left field. The North Stars also have a brick backstop that stretches from dugout to dugout, a batting cage with artificial turf and black fencing around the entire field that creates a uniform look to the ballpark.

"We're very fortunate to have a great foundation with our booster club, and some of the private donations we've gotten have helped because nothing can get done without the money, of course," North coach Todd Genke said. "But we also fund raise very hard and make quite a bit of money that way, so combining the two has really helped us build what we have now."

Not every team has the funding to incorporate those bells and whistles, but that doesn't keep squads from doing what they can to keep their playing fields in top shape. This is where the post-game and post-practice work comes in.

At D-C, players are assigned jobs to fulfill after every game and practice. Pitchers usually tend to the mound, catchers take care of the ground around the plate and infielders rake the infield. Other players are given bullpen or batting cage duties.

"For us it's a source of pride because we don't want to play on a cruddy field, so the kids have pretty much bought into it," Bencriscutto said.

That pride also comes out when teams host postseason tournaments. Larkin and Westminster Christian will both have a chance to show off their well-groomed fields when they host sectionals later this month.

A good portion of the credit for the best playing surfaces around should go to the coaches who spend most of their free time in the spring tinkering with ways to improve their fields. Some administrators also get in on the act, and at Larkin, Ellett says athletics director Jim Juliano spends so much time on the field that "I think he treats that thing better than he treats his own yard."

Nonetheless, the esoteric nature of players sharing in the care of their field is one that can create a special unity within a baseball team.

"The kids kind of learn to take care of it like their own home," Ellett said. "It's also a little bit of a team building thing too. If you go to most places you see kids picking up rakes and fixing the mound and batter's box right after the game like it's second nature. We're certainly not the only one doing it."

That sense of ownership among players has especially taken hold at Westminster Christian, which began playing on its own field three years ago.

Since then, the Warriors' facility has seen the addition of big-league style dugouts that are sunk below field level, a new nine-inning scoreboard in left field and a brick backstop.

Westminster's players have had a hand in some of that construction, and in a way the field's improvements mirror the growth of the Warriors' program.

"Like the field has been building, the team has been building as a whole," Westminster senior Ben Palmer said. "It's kind of funny because last year was our first big year for our field and we did awfully well as a team. This year we're building on (our success) and getting better, just like how we're continuing to improve our field."