STOCKTON, Calif. — The sun was shining Wednesday and tryouts for little league baseball were underway across Stockton, but instead of bats cracking on the diamonds at Oak Park, a puddle covered home plate and, this season, there will be silence in the stands.
"This year, we are absorbing, in a sense, Northern Little League," said Cintia Smith, player agent for the competing Eastern Little League. "Their park has been vandalized, has been damaged, to the point where they can't have their season, so they're having their season with us this year."
Taking on the new players was an easy decision for Smith and her league, but one she wishes didn’t have to be made.
“I wish there was more attention before it got to the point where it is now. I think we’ve seen it, and it’s escalated and nothing has been done," said Smith. "As a mom, I would be very bummed to see all the damages or having to travel to a different league.”
During a meeting Wednesday to set priorities for 2024, Stockton City Council discussed the state of their baseball fields and promised to make improvements.
"We are sorry to hear that the Little League has chosen an alternate location. We have been working diligently to address these issues across the city, particularly in our public spaces and parks," the City of Stockton said in a statement. "We are committed to addressing these issues, so our youth and families can enjoy these valuable community resources."
It’s not just Eastern and Northern Little Leagues being served curveballs this season, but also Sundown Little League where homelessness and vandalism have had parents concerned.
“Some parents don’t feel safe," said Karina Escobedo, president of Sundown Little League. "There's times that we come out here, there's broken bottles where they've had a party in here because they cut the fence and they cut our locks."
The league only has access to the fields— owned by the Lincoln Unified School District — after 6 p.m. most days, which is after the sun goes down. Escobedo said she has discovered vandals breaking through fences and sleeping in dugouts.
“A lot of us are women out here by ourselves sometimes or even with the coaches and you have kids as well. It’s so dark, you can’t see," said Escobedo. "We're concerned that now you have people wandering in here. At the end of the day, we're here for our kids."
Karina said it will take the community coming together for this little league season to reach home plate. The city of Stockton hopes to help, by encouraging people who see vandalism at city-owned baseball fields to report it through the Ask Stockton website or app.
"What we’re asking is for help from the community. We need volunteers," said Escobedo. "Being a non-profit organization, it’s very hard. It’s putting a toll on a lot of leagues here locally.”
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