Tensions rise over slow progress on softball, baseball turf fields at Big League Dreams

Big League Dreams is making strides to improve its multi-use baseball, softball and roller hockey facility in Redding, a city official said.

But players parents and coaches have grown restless over what they believe is a lack of progress to replace the slippery turfs at the facility.

"It's tough because we are trying to play baseball and this is the only place that's got turf we can play at," U-Prep coach Bradd Miller said after beating Red Bluff 3-2 on a recent Wednesday in March. "We don't want to play here but our hand was forced with this weather."

Winter downpours and snow left high school and middle school baseball and softball teams from Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity and Tehama counties relying on Big League Dreams to host games.

The alternative is to slog through muddy home diamonds and soaking wet outfields.

Big League Dreams, which opened in 2004, once showed replicas of Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and Pawtucket Field. Due to poor and unsafe playing conditions, the facility has fallen under public scrutiny.

The turf at Big League Dreams fields is cut up. Scratches and worn-down patches can be seen from far away. Cleats on these patches have created more cuts on the infield, leading to the possibility of unpredictable hops for players trying to field ground balls.

Too, the bases at Big League Dreams are unfastened. When players try to run through a bag, the bases often slide out of position.

An unstable based caused Fall River senior first baseman Ellie Jacobson to injure herself on March 16 playing softball against U-Prep.

Central Valley athletic director Samantha Cassingham, whose son, Mason, plays catcher at U-Prep called the lips created by the cuts on infield replacement turf "unsafe" and "dangerous."

"I'd rather play on dirt because you're assuming already the field is going to have bad hops," Cassingham said. "But when you're on turf, that's not acceptable."

City monitoring work on fields

Redding Community Services Director Kim Niemer shared a letter of agreement with the Record Searchlight between the city and TC Sports Group, the Chino Hills-based company that owns Big League Dreams and is tasked with rebuilding the fields.

TC Sports is responsible for repairing damaged batting cages, infield turf, outfield turf, torn batter's boxes, broken stadium seats, painting new outfield walls and repairing parking lot lights, according to the letter sent by Niemer.

"(TC Sports) has someone out making measurements for painting this week," Niemer said on March 10. "They ordered the parts for batting cage repair and they also had someone out assessing the parking lot lights."

The conditions at Big League Dreams did little to help Shasta High School senior catcher Zach Schuette.

Schuette kept sliding while trying to crouch and catch throws from his pitchers Cooper Yonge, Campbell Parker and Shake Taylor on March 11 against West Valley.

Schuette expressed his disappointment after slipping and falling several times while making throws from home to second base while trying to catch base stealers.

"It's really unfortunate that the one facility we can go to in times like this doesn't treat its fields properly," Schuette said. "Whether that be the home plate, turf or area around it, it just seems like there's no real care for the fields."

Enterprise sophomore outfielder Porter Fischer had similar experiences to Schuette while trying to run bases and catch balls in the outfield. Enterprise played games against Shasta and Anderson on March 8 and against U-Prep on March 10.

"It's slippery in the batter's box so you're not getting enough traction to get a full swing," Fischer said. "Coming around the bases you're trying to chop around, not getting a full sprint. I'm going a lot slower and with base stealing you're trying to get a bigger lead."

Niemer explained how the city is attempting to make changes to the worn fields.

The city set deadlines for TC Sports to fix batting cage repairs and parking lot lighting in February. Repairs for damaged turf in the infield, outfield, plus the batter's boxes and stadium seats had been set for March. Shade repairs for replica fields are scheduled to be done in April.

But those deadlines have been extended to the end of March and in April due to rain and snowstorms in Redding, Niemer said.

"We are monitoring, making sure (TC Sports) are making good faith progress on that schedule," Niemer said. "It might mean that they may not meet every deadline for each specific window."

Niemer said the turf on the fields are supposed to be fixed "by the end of March" but called the timetable a "rough deadline."

'Everywhere in between but not here'

The current field conditions are forcing club coaches like Redding resident Katie Wood to find competition against teams in different counties and states.

Wood is a team vice president and one of the head coaches of NorCal Rage, an AAU team based in Redding. Wood's daughter, Leigha Wood, is a freshman varsity catcher and her son, Aaron, is a senior pitcher at U-Prep.

"None of the higher level teams will come and play tournaments at Big League Dreams anymore because the turf is so atrocious and no one wants to get hurt out there," Wood said. "We have to travel to Portland, Reno, Tracy and everywhere in between but not here."

Niemer said TC Sports has been making its monthly $18,000 payments on time, per agreements set in the letter. The Record Searchlight reported in August 2022 how Big League Dreams had been behind making rent payments in 2020 before COVID-19 shut the park down temporarily. TC Sports took over ownership of Big League Dreams last summer.

TC Sports is required to pay the city $18,000 per month from February until November 2023 before paying $2,818 in December. TC Sports chief operating officer Kevin Flora did not comment after writing an email saying his company would issue a statement on March 9.

Niemer addressed the concerns made by players, parents and coaches about the Big League Dreams rebuild as 20 high school softball teams from Shasta, Tehama, Siskiyou, Trinity and Humboldt counties played on the turf fields between March 15 and March 18.

"(The City of Redding) acknowledged that (Big League Dreams) had fallen behind," Niemer said. "But we also acknowledge that we have new owners and we have to work in good faith with them. They are starting to comply with the terms and the plans. I think people that want us to just quit don't realize that there's a lot of work to be done out there."

"Contractually they are obligated to do it. So the (City Council) has directed us to bring them in compliance and that's what we are doing," Niemer said.

Athletes share techniques to play at Big League Dreams

Despite the issues with the field, Red Bluff High School coach Ryland Sanders expressed gratitude for having Big League Dreams in Redding. Red Bluff's baseball diamond is filled with puddles from repeated storms.

"I'm really thankful to have the opportunity to have Big League Dreams," Sanders said. "They know the turf isn't in the greatest shape but we don't have many options."

Foothill junior outfielder Kalea Thomas is mentally preparing to compete on the wet turf fields. She practiced inside a basketball gym on March 13. Thomas offered advice on how to run the bases if there is rain.

"Definitely when you're sliding into a base, you're going to want to go earlier," Thomas said. "You want to make sure you get on base instead of sliding off and getting tagged out."

Anderson sophomore pitcher Elisea Wiegand entered the March 18 tournament after leading the Cubs in two straight wins against Colusa and Pierce to open the season.

Wiegand tossed a no-hitter and struck out 20 batters against Pierce on March 8 after hitting two home runs and pitching her team to a 9-8 victory against Colusa at home on March 2.

Wiegand kept her strategy for fielding simple.

"The ball rolls quickly so the key is charging it and trying to get to it as quick as you can," Wiegand said.

Baseball and softball players might need to adapt to playing at Big League Dreams on an interim basis. Another round of rainstorms are in the forecast next week, adding more moisture to already unplayable high school fields.

"It's just frustrating because in our area, sports are huge for our youth," Cassingham said. "Sports keep kids out of trouble and the more kids are involved, the more they'll be on the straight and narrow. And that means giving them places to play and practice."