Lakeshore Baseball Club goes to bat for Marsh Field

By Dave Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle

January 30, 2010

A summer evening baseball game at Marsh Field, the city of Muskegon's historic athletic facility - Chronicle file photo.

MUSKEGON — In a move they are hailing as a home run, Muskegon city commissioners have reached an agreement with the Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC to operate, maintain and improve Marsh Field.

Commissioners last week unanimously approved a three-year contract with an organization led by two local, longtime amateur baseball promoters. Money will not change hands between the club and city but both expect to benefit.

The city will get a group passionate about promoting baseball and willing to restore some of the glory to historic Marsh Field at Laketon Avenue and Peck Street. The Lakeshore Baseball Club will get a baseball field and revenues generated from the facility from tickets, concessions and advertising.

The city will save on maintenance and operating costs while having a private group improve the field and its facility. The city will still own the field.

MARSH FIELD

Marsh Field improvements by the Lakeshore Baseball Club over the next three years: • Infield upgrades (already under way) • Renetting backstop • Renovate dugouts • Field lighting upgrades • Grandstand and seating improvements • Scoreboard upgrades • Landscaping — Source: City of Muskegon agreement with Lakeshore Baseball Club

“This is a great example of the public and private working together,” Mayor Steve Warmington said. “This group has stepped up to make improvements to Marsh Field and to bring it back to its full luster.”

The Lakeshore Baseball Club is led by Pete Gawkowski and Len Piasecki. Gawkowski owns and operates Extra Innings — a Norton Shores indoor baseball training facility — and owns local Subway sandwich shops. Piasecki heads the Muskegon ChannelCats travel youth baseball club.

The Marsh Field agreement resolves several issues for commissioners. The first is continued public access to the Marsh Field parking lot, children’s playground and walking path.

“In the agreement, the track, parking lot gate and ‘tot lot’ will continue to remain open to the public,” Gawkowski told commissioners. “Nothing will change. We will be only inside the baseball field fences.”

The Muskegon Big Reds high school baseball program will continue to use Marsh Field for practice and games free of charge, City Manager Bryon Mazade said. Also, the contract allows Muskegon-area Little League organizations to use the field free of charge for all-star events.

The Lakeshore Baseball Club also will use Marsh Field for various baseball and softball youth camps. Those activities will be open to city of Muskegon youth, free of charge, the contract states.

Lakeshore Baseball Club hopes to improve the field that dates back nearly 100 years and in its heyday was a minor league baseball park for both men’s and women’s teams. The club also will boost the field’s use. It will conduct spring, summer and fall league games for teams along the lakeshore and hold regional and state tournaments on weekends.

“We love the fact that you are taking care of upgrades to Marsh Field and maintenance that the city right now can’t afford,” Commissioner Larry Spataro said.

Private group plans to maintain Marsh Field

By Dave Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle

November 20, 2009

Chronicle/Ken Stevens

Marsh Field, at the corner of Peck Street and Laketon Avenue, has hosted professional baseball and Olympic track stars. The field, which was built in 1916, is starting to show its age. The city of Muskegon and Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC are working on a agreement to make improvements to the field, which could be used to host youth baseball activities.The old field where Jesse Owens once dusted his toes and Satchel Paige trotted the bases is about to get a facelift.

Marsh Field, on the corner of Peck and Laketon, has hosted professional baseball stars, an Olympic track champion and high school games for nearly 100 years. But, it’s starting to show its age.

And officials from the cash-strapped city of Muskegon, which owns and cares for the field, think it might be time to forge a relationship for upkeep of the field with a private entity.

Enter the Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC. The new organization, led by Pete Gawkowski and Len Piasecki, hopes to make improvements to the facility so that it can host local and out-of-town youth baseball activities from tournaments to summer camps.

“Marsh Field has been in a state of decline over the past 10 years,” said Gawkowski, a West Michigan Subway sandwich shop franchise owner and developer of Extra Innings — a Norton Shores indoor baseball training facility.


Chronicle/Ken Stevens

Marsh Field also has a walking path as part of the recreational facilities at the city park. A formal three-year agreement having the Lakeshore Baseball Club take over the operation and maintenance of Marsh Field is being put in final form by attorneys. The field would remain the home and practice field for the Muskegon High School Big Reds baseball team.

For other events, however, the club would have rights to the field’s gate reciepts and concession stand revenues.

“Marsh Field is one of the oldest minor league fields in Michigan,” Muskegon City Manager Bryon Mazade said. “It has a long history. The facility needs some work.”

For the city, an agreement with the Lakeshore Baseball Club would save city parks department resources during extremely difficult budget times. It’s a public-private partnership similar to the longstanding agreement the city has with a fishing group, which maintains and operates Fisherman’s Landing boat launch and camping facility.

Jim Grevel is a member of Lakeshore Baseball Club LLC and special events coordinator for Extra Innings. “Marsh Field is a very special place,” he said.

Marsh Field dates back to 1916. Founder Charles W. Marsh sold the site to the city in 1920.

Through the 1920, ’30s and ’40s, the covered grandstands held up to 4,000 screaming baseball fans on many nights. Those grandstands — built by Marsh who was the president of Muskegon’s Michigan State League team — survived until 1957.

Marsh Field reportedly provided a showcase for the likes of baseball Hall of Famers Charley Gehringer, Mickey Cochrane, Harry Heilmann, Johnny Mize and Satchel Paige to name some who played there. The baseball park was home to the American Legion leagues in the 1940s.

Marsh Field also hosted the Muskegon Lassies beginning in 1946. By 1948, the Lassies drew 78,000 fans and the Clippers courted 83,000 — the best attendance year for the ballpark, according to sports historians.

The Central League Muskegon Clippers faded in 1951. The last women’s baseball ended in 1953.

After the removal of the covered grandstands, the baseball field became home to the high school Big Reds. It has served Muskegon area high school and youth leagues ever since.

Gawkowski said his company wants to begin working on Marsh Field yet this fall in preparation for the 2010 season. Eventually, the group wants to build a new infield which could be up to a $40,000 investment. A new backstop, concession stand upgrades and security measures also are being planned, he said.


Historic Marsh Field in 1956 - Chronicle File Photo.

The Lakeshore Baseball Club has been asked to limit access to Marsh Field at the baseball field gates and not the facilities’ parking lot enterances. The Marsh Field property also has playground equipment, a walking trail and other general recreation areas that will remain open and free to the public.

The facility upgrades and Lakeshore Baseball Club’s sports contacts should boost the potential of hosting local and statewide youth baseball tournaments at Marsh Field, said Piasecki, president of the Muskegon ChannelCats youth baseball club. The potential is to have the facility used five nights a week by local and regional teams and host events for out-of-town teams every weekend.

Youth sports — like baseball, hockey, volleyball and basketball — have become big business as parents travel far and wide to have their children play on elite travel teams. All of that means tourism business for the community, according to Muskegon County Tourism Manager Jill Emery.

“Sports marketing is one of the top areas of growth for all convention and visitor bureaus,” Emery said. Sporting events generate hotel room nights and spending at local restaurants, gas stations and retailers, she said.

“Sporting events affect several sectors of our economy,” Emery said. “These events generate big bucks.”

For the owners of the Lakeshore Baseball Club, the Marsh Field initiative is simply about the love of baseball and the community.

“We want to polish a diamond in the rough,” Piasecki said

2009 Muskegon Big Red Baseball Golf Outing

Location:
Bent Pines
2480 Duck Lake Road
Muskegon, MI 49461

Date:
Saturday, June 6, 2009

Time:
7:30 Check-in
9:00 Shotgun

Format:
4-person Scramble

Cost:
$220.00 per Team or
$55.00 per person
(Single entries accepted to match with other players)

Includes:
18 holes of golf
2 carts per foursome
Steaks, 2 sides, roll
Door prizes

Registration:
Yes! We want to be a part of the 2009 Muskegon Big Red Baseball Golf Outing. The proceeds from this fundraising event support Big Red Baseball. You may register as a single or as a foursome. Below, please complete the names, addresses and phone numbers of all golfers. Send check and Registration by May 30.

Contact:
Chris Hilliker for additional information at 231-329-3108 or 231–747-7713.

Team:

1.
____________________________________________________

2.
____________________________________________________

3.
____________________________________________________

4.
____________________________________________________

Make checks payable to:
Muskegon Big Red Baseball

Send entry form and check to:
Chris Hilliker, Big Red Baseball
2118 Deerwood Rd
Twin Lake , MI 49457

Total:
Enclosed $ ___________

2009 Muskegon Baseball Teams

Varsity
2 - Enrique Pena, OF/IF/P - Senior
3 - Elan Banks, OF/P - Senior
4 - Josh McMann, OF/IF/ P - Senior
5 - Xavier McCarty, OF - Sophomore
6 - Ben Klemm, IF/P - Senior
8 - Ben Carson, OF/IF/P - Junior
12 - Brett DeCheney, IF/P - Junior
16 - Nate Smith, OF
23 - Marshall Werling, IF - Senior
24 - Dennis Merritt, IF/P - Senior
32 - Justin Brownlee, IF - Senior
33 - Evan Saxe, IF/P/OF - Junior
34 - Randall McMurray - Player/Manager

10 - Tom Lopez - HEAD COACH
13 - Jesse Pena - ASSISTANT COACH
31 - Eric Alcorn - ASSISTANT COACH
Dexter Larabee - MANAGER

Junior Varsity
1 - Xavier Mccarty, OF/IF - Sophomore
3 - Sam Kohley, P/IF - Sophomore
4 - Jeff Shanty, P/IF - Sophomore
8 - Jamie Pesch, P/IF - Sophomore
10 - Terrance Spears, OF/IF - Sophomore
12 - Orlando Pena, P/IF - Sophomore
13 - Andra Jolly, P/IF - Sophomore
16 - Cameron Hunter, OF - Freshman
21 - Amario Hobson, P/OF - Sophomore
23 - Jared Holmberg, OF - Sophomore
24 - Mathew Murar, IF - Sophomore
31 - Troy Hurlbert, IF - Sophomore
32 - Jai'lyn Thompson, OF - Freshman
33 - Tom Geodert, IF - Freshman
34 - Brett Kammers, P/IF - Freshman

Chris Hilliker - HEAD COACH
Brad Casciano - ASSISTANT COACH

55 Wins in a Row - the legacy of Muskegon Baseball

It's hard to imagine any high school team accomplishing the feat, but between the seasons 1941-1945, Muskegon High School's baseball teams established a Michigan High School state record with a string of 55 consecutive victories. Even more astonishing is that the record was bested in the 1960's by Grand Haven's prep teams, who strung together 56 straight wins. It was a Grand Haven squad that had ended the Muskegon streak. Over 40 years later, Homer High School finally broke Grand Haven's mark with a national record 75 victories compiled during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

It's interesting to note that it took five years for Muskegon's team to total 55 wins, while Grand Haven needed only a portion of three seasons to win 56. It took Homer only two years to total 75 straight. My, how times have changed!

Here's an article from an old Muskegon Chronicle covering Muskegon's win streak. Click on the image for a large, easy to read version.

Muskegon Big Red Varsity Baseball Schedule

03/30/09 4:00 pm Muskegon Western Michigan Christian

03/31/09 4:30 pm Grand Rapids Creston

04/02/09 4:00 pm Whitehall (doubleheader)
04/14/09 4:30 pm Muskegon Mona Shores
04/15/09 4:30 pm @ Jenison
04/17/09 4:00 pm Jenison
04/20/09 4:30 pm Grand Rapids Central
04/21/09 4:00 pm Grandville
04/23/09 4:30 pm @ Grandville
04/24/09 5:30 pm Orchard View (doubleheader)
04/27/09 4:00 pm East Kentwood
04/29/09 4:30 pm @ East Kentwood
05/01/09 4:30 pm @ Rockford
05/02/09 9:00 am GMAA Tournament @ Mona Shores
05/04/09 4:00 pm Rockford
05/06/09 4:00 pm Grand Haven
05/08/09 4:30 pm @ Grand Haven
05/09/09 10:00 am Jon Hooker Memorial Invitational
@ Holland High School
05/11/09 4:00 pm @ Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
(at McCrea Field)
05/12/09 4:30 pm @ Hudsonville
(at Baldwin Middle School)
05/13/09 4:30 pm OK Red Rain date
05/14/09 4:30 vs. Hudsonville
05/15/09 4:30 vs. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
05/18/09 4:00 vs. Holland West Ottawa
05/20/09 4:30 @ Holland West Ottawa
05/22/09 4:00 @ Muskegon Catholic Central
05/23/09 10:00 am @ Grand Rapids Union (doubleheader)
05/26/09 Pre-Districts @ Holland West Ottawa
05/29/09 Districts
06/06/09 Regionals
06/09/09 Quarterfinals

Click here for more details on the varsity schedule. Click here for a copy of the Junior Varsity Schedule

Special thanks to all that came out for our

Second Annual
St. Patrick's Fundraiser for

Muskegon
Big Red
Baseball
on
Saturday
March 14, 2009 at

Tatra Hall - 2526 Sixth Street

Dinner included: Steak, Potato, Garlic Bread, Salad, Dessert & Coffee

with entertainment by
the Carl Webb Band

Congratulations to the winners of our

* 50/50 Raffles * Door Prizes * Silent Auction *

A great time was had by all!

Thanks, of course, to all who bought tickets to the event!

In addition special thanks to all those who helped us stage this event, including the Big Reds Baseball Parents Group; Tatra Hall; all the volunteers that offered their time in the kitchen, clean-up, grilling steaks, making food and desserts, and decorating and our sponsors:

Kohley's Superior Propane
Lakeside Emporium
The Meat Block
Meijer
Frederik Meijer Gardens
Muskegon High School Bookstore & Principal David Lewis
Muskegon Lumberjacks
Muskegon Sportsman Association
O'le Henry Gardens
Sports Clips
Sports Pro Stop
Stonegate Golf Club
Sysco Foods
Tourcotte/CT Gallery
Trophy House/Jones Sporting Goods
Wayne's Deli
Carl Web Band
Wesco
West Michigan Whitecaps

See you next year!