All fenced in: Douglas baseball improves outfield fence

Everything about the Douglas High School baseball program is old school.

From the style of play to the uniforms and right on down to the scoreboard, head coach John Glover has spent four seasons at the helm molding the Tigers into a squad more reminiscent of "the good ol' days" of baseball.

"We've just tried to get back to what I consider to be the best time in baseball," Glover said. "Back when guys played the game right and focused on the team. That's what we've been aiming for.

"I think a lot of things about our program speak to that, from our work ethic all the way down to the improvements we've been making to the field."

The latest such improvement, an old-fashioned wood outfield fence, was completed earlier this month.

"The old fence was in such bad shape that it was starting to become a safety issue," Glover said. "There were holes in the old chain link. It was just the next project in a long list of improvements we've been wanting to make to the field."

The fence was just the latest of many improvements to the field over the last few years, including an old-fashioned scoreboard that the numbers must be hung manually.

Work on the fence began in October and was finished in early March. Just recently, signs for each of the major contributing sponsors to the program were hand-painted onto the fence by Dwight McCullough.

It came in at a total cost of $20,000, not including the labor, nearly all of which came as volunteer work according to Douglas assistant coach Rocky Walling.

"We had some tremendous support," Walling said. "It covered the materials and the paint."

Donors to the fence project included large contributions from Douglas Disposal and Syncon Homes. Coldwell Banker Itildo, DA Development, Century 21, Tim Egan and Valley Septic also made significant monetary contributions to the project.

Meeks Lumber, Florence Fence, Ray Van Winkle, Ralph Shonian, Robbie Hadlock and Sparky Flagg all donated materials and/or labor.

"It's just a neat thing to see the community support us like that," Glover said. "It's for the kids, it really goes toward making this a first-class facility for them to play in. But it is also nice for the community because it creates a great environment to come watch a baseball game.

The next big project for the Tigers is installing stadium seating behind the backstop.

Currently, Douglas has four small metal bleacher cases that don't have many seats that allow for a clear view of the entire field.

Glover said they are looking to tear down the current backstop and install a new one with brick or cement lining around the bottom. They'd also tear down the current press box, remove the bleachers and install a five-step bank of stadium seating capable of holding 500 spectators. Walling estimated the cost for the project at $60,000.

To date, the baseball team has raised nearly $27,000 for the project, but will need more help to get there.

Among the major donors to the stadium seating project are V&C Construction, Golden Valley Construction, RE/MAX Realty, Les Schwab Tires and A&A Construction. Sierra Pacific Power has also made a substantial materials conribution.

Walling said the program has several donations levels, including three-year, five-year and lifetime donations in terms of how long a donor's sign remains on the fence.

Other contributors to Douglas baseball this season include Carson Valley Chevrolet, Danny's Ironwood Grill, Curtis & Sons, Carson Valley Little League, Wal-Mart, Sunshine Construction, Freeman & Williams, DHS Boosters, the Aviation Group, Northern Nevada Pipeline and Dustin Funk.

Anyone interested in donating to the baseball team can contact Glover at the high school at 782-5136. Checks can be made payable to Douglas High School baseball.

-- Joey Crandall can be reached at jcrandall@recordcourier.com or at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.