Playing the field in search of state's top parks

Q: What are the best high-school baseball fields in the state?

A: This question sent me criss-crossing the Cascades in search of "fields of dreams." I found my winner in Vancouver — Propstra Stadium, on the campus of Hudson's Bay High School near Interstate 5.

But I am also crazy about the ballparks at Colfax, Selah and Hoquiam, which were the strongest contenders for No. 1 and finished 2-3-4 on my list.

In a way, picking Propstra is like cheering for the Yankees because it is one of the newest (1998) and most expensive facilities.

Propstra is a brick stadium that reportedly cost $1.5 million. The benefactor is George Propstra, a Vancouver businessman best known as the owner of the Burgerville restaurants in Southwest Washington.

Propstra and other fields were graded on aesthetics, maintenance, creature comforts such as seating, rest rooms and concession areas and overall "feel." Just like plutonium, a good field radiates. It gives off a sense of being "special" to fan and athlete alike.

City and county-owned fields were eligible for this list as long as high-school teams used them regularly.

One pleasant finding was that at many fields much of the maintenance is done by players themselves. They work under fastidious coaches who disdain weeds and wavy foul lines. This develops a sense of pride and appreciation in the players to say nothing of future gardening skills.

The top 20

1. Propstra Stadium (Hudson's Bay): This place has everything — a beautiful setting on a green belt, covered seating behind home plate, grass infield, protected dugouts and even clubhouse areas. The field itself is called Daniels Field in honor of the late father-son coaching duo of Curt and Al Daniels. The stadium seats 1,500.

2. McDonald Park (Colfax): Nestled near the Palouse River next to the town's golf course, this is a community achievement that won a National Field of the Year Award last year. To fully appreciate it, pull off the highway to Spokane overlooking the valley and peer down at the field, the river, rolling hills and wheat fields.

"It looks like the field of dreams," boasted Colfax athletic director Tony Carter.

The entire complex includes four fields (two for high-school caliber baseball) and has been the site of a state American Legion tournament.

Colfax High School has lost only one game in three years on the field on its way to winning two Class 1A state titles. The Bulldogs will start next season with a state-record 42-game winning streak.

3. Carlon Park (Selah): Over two decades, coach Mike Archer has overseen steady improvements to the facility. In 1995, USA Today ranked it in the top 20 high-school fields in the nation. Kingdome AstroTurf has been used in a variety of ways, including walkways to the plate and batting cages.

Few teams work harder to maintain a field.

"Our kids stay 30-45 minutes after a game and work on the field," Archer said. He was speaking on a spring-break morning while the freshmen in the program were hard at work with rakes and shovels.

4. Olympic Stadium (Hoquiam): This is a place you don't forget. It's a wooden football-baseball stadium completed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and can squeeze about 8,500.

Al Dick, who is in charge of park maintenance for the City of Hoquiam, said 11 similar stadiums were built in Western states "but the 10 others burned down."

The field has been a minor-league park and has undergone significant improvements and renovations. The field itself is first-class and has a deep center field (400 feet) and an 8-foot fence. More important, it has a splendid drainage system because Hoquiam gets 70 inches of rainfall a year.

5. Everett Memorial Stadium (Everett): The Everett School District owns this facility that is best known as home of the Class A Everett AquaSox. This is a wonderful, pro-caliber ballpark and the only obvious knock on it is that it has too much seating (2,285) for most high-school games. It was the site of this year's Class 4A state championship semifinals and final.

6. Joe Martin Stadium (Bellingham, Sehome, Squalicum): This former minor-league field is owned by the City of Bellingham and was built in 1964. The Mariners' Class A farm team played there until 1995, and it was the professional starting place for Ken Griffey Jr., Mark Langston and Edgar Martinez.

The stadium has seating for 2,200 and even a picnic area in the deep left-field-foul area.

7. Ed Wheeler Field (Centralia): A big renovation project in 2001 gave the stadium a facelift that included the installation of seats from the Kingdome.

When the lighting system was replaced a few years earlier, one old pole was spared because it was home to ospreys, which these "fish hawks" still nest in.

"Half the time, the ospreys look like they are watching the game," said one Centralia baseball mom.

At an American Legion practice, an osprey picked up a ball hit over the fence and dropped it back on the field.

8. Larson Park (Moses Lake): This facility got spiffed up for the 2000 Babe Ruth Baseball World Series for 16-year-olds with new fencing, lights and other improvements.

"The real shot in the arm was getting that World Series," said Jerry Thaut, Moses Lake's parks and recreation director.

The park has a 14-foot fence guarding straightaway center field, which is 380 feet.

9. Alton R. Daniels Field (Anacortes): When coach Lem Elway arrived in Anacortes in the fall of 1987, he took his wife to look at what passed for a baseball field in the town.

She said, "Lem! We left Olympic Stadium (in Hoquiam) for THIS?"

She likes it now. Elway coordinated a volunteer effort and alum Don Daniels generously provided matching money with the provision that the field be named after his late father. The field was dedicated in 1992, and lights were added three years later. In 1998, a second field was built adjacent to the first with help from volunteers.

"It's amazing what people will do when you tell them it is for the kids," Elway said.

10. Rec Park (Wenatchee): The Wenatchee High School Panthers play in this old, enclosed ballpark that has a long history and now is owned by the school district.

11. Peter Kirk Park (Lake Washington and Juanita): Part of the charm of Peter Kirk is the smells that waft from the centrally located concession stand. The Kirkland field is manicured and the tall poplar trees in left field are stately under the lights.

12. Bannerwood Park (Interlake): This photogenic ballpark in Bellevue, adjacent to wetlands east of I-405, is a guaranteed bet for good baseball in spring and summer. The park is a partnership among the Bellevue School District, City of Bellevue and King County. Warning: This field can be hard to find the first time.

13. Osborne Field (Enumclaw): Games on clear days come complete with an unobstructed view of Mount Rainier in left field. The field has a grass infield and protected dugouts. There are plans to replace the aging seats.

14. Ephrata High School: The state's winningest coach, Dave Johnson, spearheaded the drive that has seen this field evolve into the one of the state's best small-school facilities. One bonus on the day we visited — the sound of quail calling in the bushes nearby.

15. Bob Maguinez Field, Heidelberg Sports Complex (Stadium, Lincoln, Mount Tahoma): This Tacoma field is just north of Cheney Stadium. A busy street and shopping area visible over the left-field fence detract from the aesthetics but the field itself is first-class.

16. Newport High School: Everything about this Bellevue field says tradition, from the signs on the fences honoring the school's seven major-leaguers to other signs honoring state championships.

17. Davis High School: Crosstown Yakima rival Eisenhower has more athletic toys than Davis, such as a football stadium, but Ike can't come close to matching the Pirates' baseball field.

18. Richland High School: This former minor-league field is on the Tri-Cities school's campus.

19. Waits Field (Capital): This Olympia park is a good one where future major-leaguers Travis Lee and Jared Sandberg played in the 1990s.

20. White Center Stadium (Seattle Prep): At this moment, someone is looking at this and declaring, "Smitty is nuts!" Hey, I just have a weakness for funky old stadiums with character. Sure, this place, officially Mel Olson Stadium, has plenty of defects, such as an outfield that can get swampy. And I realize it is laid out so that outfielders often lose balls in the sun. I just look at it this way — more excitement.

Sideline Smitty will return in the fall. He still accepts your questions at 206-464-8279 or e-mail at csmith@seattletimes.com