Our own Field of Dreams is taking shape at North Park in Lamoni because of the generosity of a 1953 Graceland alumnus and some very hard work by the Graceland baseball team and coaches. Kevin Costner would be proud of the metamorphosis at the field where Graceland and the Lamoni high school and middle school squads play their home games. The players aren't disappearing into corn fields after their matches but some of that same kind of magic is in play at the field.
Ray Chase, of Gainesville, Virginia, wanted to give something back to his alma mater. His gift will be a home-run for Graceland and the community. We will now have a premier field, with all the amenities, with blessings from the Chase family. The field will be named simply Chase Stadium.
Ray's son Kirt Chase, a 1982 Graceland graduate, played baseball for the Yellowjackets. When he came back to Lamoni not long ago he noticed that not much had been done to the field since his playing days. "We saw it and we knew something needed to be done - it needed great improvement," Ray said. "So we decided this was the way we wanted to do something for Graceland."
Kirt is married to Barbara Ann Demetrician (1984) Chase. Ray and his wife, Arlene (Torsch) Chase, a 1954 Graceland graduate, have two other children who are also GU alumni: Diane Chase (1984) Fulton and her husband Douglas Fulton (1984 as well), and Rodney Chase (1989) and his wife Shelley Sturgis (1988) Chase. As we see so often, this is another one of those great Graceland families.
Graceland Head Baseball Coach Brady McKillip is of course delighted with the additions and improvement that have been made possible by Ray's generosity. "My coaches and I, and the players, can not thank Ray and his family enough for this wonderful gift to our program," said McKillip, who is in his ninth year as head coach.
Part of the magic with this special gift is that McKillip, his coaches, and the players are providing all the labor for the construction, repairs and additions to the field. "This team has been phenomenal," said McKillip. "They have pitched in worked hard on this field. We are going to have one of the top three fields in the HAAC (Heart of America Athletic Conference) when the season starts in the spring."
When Ray visited Lamoni not long ago Graceland's VP for Institutional Advancement Kelly Everett drove him out to North Park on the spur of the moment, not knowing that players and coaches were there working on the field. Ray was glad to see what was going on. "There was the coach laying down dirt and planting seed," said Ray. "That was interesting and I was impressed. What a great effort by all those involved."
"Our players have really taken ownership of this field," said McKillip. "Their efforts have been outstanding." McKillip said that he has already been able to sign four top-notch players because of the new field. "This is going to be a great recruiting tool," he said. McKillip also wants to give a lot of the credit for the work to his Assistant Head Coach Bill Jackson, and volunteer coach Matt Williams. McKillip is a 2000 GU graduate. (Click on Field Photos for some good shots of progress at the stadium.)
The $50,000 gift has already allowed for the following improvements to be made. The field itself needed a lot of work just to bring it up to conference standards. A wooden fence now wraps itself around the entire field, giving it the look of a fledgling minor-league ballpark. A crushed-red-brick, 12-feet warning track is mostly installed. McKillip said the remaining crushed brick will be delivered in the spring. The warning track will surround the entire field. This is an important safety improvement so players don't smack into the wall chasing fly balls.
The old dugouts have been removed (a big job) and beautiful new 70-foot-long dugouts, complete with storage at each end, have been built. Not even the Field of Dreams had those. The existing bleachers have been reconfigured behind home plate and new seating has been installed next to the dugouts. About 200 fans can now sit comfortably and watch the games. A new press box in under construction and expected to be completed before Graceland's first home game of the season in early March. The team plays a 40-game season. The press box will include a changing room for players and substantial storage room.
The high school and middle school seasons take place in the summer. High School Head Coach Mike Ranney called the improvements taking place an awesome opportunity for his team and the middle school team, coached by Mike Foster. "The impact this has for our teams exceeds anything we could hope for," said Ranney. "We will have one of the top fields of any school we compete against." Ranney said he and his players will do their best "to help take care and respect the facility." He added, "We want to express our sincere appreciation for what Graceland is doing and for the generosity of Mr. Chase. Our players are excited to compete on this field."
One of the most exciting improvements will take place in the spring. A 26-feet-long, electronic scoreboard, 16-feet high and 10 feet up off the ground will be installed at the left-field fence, to the left of the existing wooden scoreboard. The scoreboard will operate with wireless technology, controlled from the press box. Wireless internet access will be available at the field as well.
Ray Chase is such a great guy and when you talk to him you catch some of the enthusiasm he has for this outstanding community project. "I am so pleased with all the improvements," he said. "This is what I call a good investment!"
The Field of Dreams analogy may be a slight exaggeration, but Graceland and Lamoni players are going to be competing on a tremendous field, made possible by the generosity of GU alumnus Ray Chase and the hands-on work of the players. Both the Graceland and Lamoni communities will be the real winners. It's going to be a lot of fun to get out there and root for our teams, Kevin Costner or no Kevin Costner.
