Volunteers get baseball field at Stanwood school game-ready

STANWOOD — Volunteers gathered on a soggy Saturday morning to transform puddles into a ready-to-play Little League field.

Stanwood-Camano Little League, with more than 400 players, uses ball fields at local schools and parks, said Brandon Bailey, vice president of baseball for the league. Volunteers have made it their mission to improve those fields.

On Saturday, their focus was a field at Twin City Elementary where mud and even a layer of slick, seaweed-like plant life had taken over. More than 20 volunteers cleared the field, hauled in new dirt, leveled the play area, raised the bases, and laid down an infield conditioner that helps manage moisture. There were parents, coaches, children and representatives from the local YMCA, which helps coordinate youth programs.

One of Bailey’s sons started playing on the Twin City fields, and the family has been part of the program for years. Bailey coaches, as well.

“I was just telling my boys, it’s nice to come back and make a field nicer than it was when we played here,” he said, looking out on a flat, brown surface with fresh rake lines and holes dug for the bases. “This was puddles when we first got out here. You couldn’t have played on it.”

The group also aimed to make some minor improvements to another Twin City field that was in better condition but still needed to be cleaned up before the first game this week, said Mike Gleaves, the local league’s safety officer. He’s also a coach and has sons in Little League. More than 100 kids play on the two fields at Twin City, mostly 7- and 8-year-olds. The program is open to boys and girls, though few girls have joined the teams.

“This is an all-volunteer league,” Gleaves said. “We’ve got a lot of good parents, a lot of good coaches. We want as many kids to join each year as possible.”

Gleaves’ son Kameron, 7, plays in Little League and came out for the work party. He helped shovel dirt into wheelbarrows so it could be hauled onto the field. He thinks having a better field will help during games. He’s been practicing and his favorite thing is playing defense, even though it’s hard, he said.

Wade Perkins, youth sports director for the Stanwood-Camano YMCA, noted that it takes dedicated volunteers to provide fun, safe activities for children. Groups such as Little League rely on volunteers and local donors.

“It’s really important for kids to see adults doing stuff like this,” Perkins said.

Leah Preston also works at the Y. She brought her 9-year-old daughter, Katie, to help with the field project. She wants to teach Katie the value of helping in her community. Katie’s favorite part of the project was playing in the mud. Her shoes squished and mud oozed around her feet when she stepped in the right places. She was helping level the field with a rake longer than she was tall. She goes to Twin City Elementary and will be able to see the volunteers’ handiwork every school day.

The Little League’s season continues into early June. More information is available at stanwoodcamanoll.org.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.