Over the last few years, members of the Linn-Benton athletic department have been hard at work transforming Dick McClain Field into a facility that reflects the quality of their baseball program.
Since 2017, recent renovations to Dick McClain Field include the addition of a new scoreboard, resurfacing of the infield turf, and a drastic remodel of the facility’s seating section thanks to generous donations from former players and supporters close to the team.
“We have a quality program here, and when you have quality programs, you want that to be immediately visible in every element of your program, including your facilities,” said Linn-Benton athletic director Mark Majeski
Discussions began in the spring of last year about the facility’s most recent renovations, the resurfacing of the turf, and the redo of the stands. Majeski met with head athletic trainer Russell Yap and facilities coordinator Tim Mollerstrom and noticed that the infield turf installed in 2017 was approaching the end of its lifespan.
With enough money saved over the years from the baseball team’s various fundraisers, the group planned to resurface the infield turf for the 2025 season. However, plans soon changed after Majeski met with an anonymous donor who asked about the possibility of resurfacing the entire field.
“The person said, ‘Well, what if we did the whole field and what if I contributed X amount of money towards that'” said Majeski, “I go, ‘Well, that’s a generous commitment, that would surely help us get there financially’.”
Following the conversation, the program received additional funding from donors, and the resurfacing plan shifted from the infield to the entire field. However, there was only one problem: time. Majeski knew resurfacing the whole field with turf would take plenty of time, effort, and planning. With this idea in mind, Majeski postponed the resurfacing until the summer of 2025 and shifted his focus toward the stands.
Once the 2024 season was over and summer began, Majeski, Mollerstrom, and Yap worked with student-athletes from the baseball and basketball programs and started transforming what had previously been a berm into a new wooden seating section with steps and patches of turf.
The result left Dick McClain Field with a brand new comfortable seating area that has made navigating around the stands safer for fans, a goal Majeski had from the start.
“There was a safety element to the existing seating area not being safe with how people moved around,” said Majeski. “People were trying to walk up and down it and slipping and falling, so it was dangerous.”
Since the start of the 2025 season, Majeski has heard overwhelmingly positive remarks from parents, players, and coaches about the stadium’s newest additions and plans for the future. Even former alumni baseball players who have stopped by for a game have been impressed by the overall improvement to the field they once called home.
However, with the outfield turf resurfacing still on the agenda, perhaps no group of people is more pleased than the parents of freshmen players, who will be able to enjoy a fully renovated field in all its glory next season.
“There’s not a bad seat in the house,” said Josh Hazen, father of Linn-Benton catcher Aiden Hazen. “I’ve never seen anything like it; it’s a walk-off in my opinion.”
Hazen, originally from Junction City, Oregon, has attended all but one of Linn-Benton’s games since the start of the season. Despite not attending a game last year, Hazen has family members who had seen what the stands looked like before the remodel.
After attending his first game earlier this season, Hazen was amazed by the stadium’s makeover since his family had last visited. Hazen instantly enjoyed the area, likening it to the vibe of a picnic and the MLB’s spring training games in Arizona. With his son planning on returning to play next year, Hazen is excited to see how things will look at Dick McClain Field for the 2026 season.
“With the returfing of the rest of the field after the season is over, that’s gonna be huge next year,” said Hazen, “I think the transformation has been awesome.”
Over the years, the estimated cost to transform the area surrounding Dick McClain Field has been $750,000 to $800,000. However, all of the funding for the project has come solely from donors, not from the state or the students at Linn-Benton.
For the last 13 years, several former Linn-Benton baseball players have helped support the program by organizing a casino night that has raised money for the team. The event has a poker tournament and a silent auction, with proceeds going toward an endowment fund for the baseball team.
Even players on the team have helped raise money for the program by participating in an annual “friends and family” fundraiser. Players send videos to their friends and family members, informing them about the season ahead and how they can support the team.
Along with all the fundraising that has gone on to transform Dick McClain Field over the years, Majeski also recognized the crucial role that the baseball coaches at Linn-Benton have played in making all of this possible.
“I love it; I think it’s got cool character,” said Linn-Benton head coach Andy Peterson. “It has a stadium feel.”
Serving as head coach of the baseball program since 2018, Peterson has witnessed various improvements to the facility during his tenure. When Peterson first took the job, the stadium had no scoreboard, hardly any pavement, and a seating section that was more of a small hill than a stand.
Now in his sixth season as head coach, Peterson is delighted with the support he and the program have received to help transform the stadium. While stadium lights and a locker room could potentially someday be next in line in terms of renovations for the facility, Peterson is more than appreciative of the work that has already happened to make Dick McClain Field look as good as new.
“I think a few of us helped, but Mark Majeski and Russell Yap put a lot of hours into getting this thing set up,” said Peterson. “I think it’s great, I’m a fan.”
