Historic Bryant field in Marysville undergoes renovations ahead of High Wheelers season
MARYSVILLE — Renovations are underway in Marysville to get the historic Bryant Field ready for the High Wheelers.
The city and the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers, of the Pioneer Baseball League, are splitting the costs for renovations at Bryant Field ahead of the new season. Roughly $500,000 is going into making the stadium safer and more community-oriented.
"We're going to take a look at what makes the best sense for a family entertainment environment and we'll add to that as we get feedback from our fans and as we develop as a team in Marysville," said Lon Hatamiya, co-owner of the High Wheelers.
The High Wheelers played their inaugural season in Davis, but one of the reasons the team decided to move to Marysville was the lack of lighting there.
At Bryant Field, they're replacing the lights in addition to putting padding on the outfield walls and improving seating and concessions. They're also putting in a new scoreboard screen that won't distract players who are up to bat. They're even building two clubhouses next door for players.
"This is a Yuba-Sutter attraction, so this is something that will really benefit the entire community, not just Marysville," said Dan Flores, the city's director of community development. "But it's great to house it in Marysville and have people be able to come over and visit us here."
Hatamiya is a Marysville native. He says this has been a lifelong dream of his and wants to incorporate the High Wheelers into the community.
"This is the highest-quality baseball that will be played at Bryant Field, I think ever. This is a minor league team with professional baseball players that have the ability to move on to the next level," Hatamiya said.
The High Wheelers are looking for host families to allow players and coaches to stay with them while they're playing the 48 home games from May through September.
"I'm a long-time baseball — not only player, but coach, father, grandfather. We're just so committed to baseball," Hatamiya said. "Marysville and Yuba City have had a long history of baseball tradition and we just think we'll add to this."
