On Tuesday May 1st the Mason baseball team played their last home game of the season, ending any hope of a big season finisher at the new park. This cancellation was only the latest in a string of delays, brought on by slow or unfinished work, marring the Mustangs hopes for a complete season on a new ballpark.

Coach Tom Horn seemed confident that the field’s mistakes would all be corrected in due time saying;

"When a team gets a new playing field, there are bound to be some mistakes…it is only part of the process of completing the work." 

Originally scheduled to be completed in April of last year, work on the fields has dragged on through the summer, disrupting spring sports for two consecutive seasons. This year, with the fields done, most students figured that the troubles with the field were behind the school, but more problems began to crop up with the Jack Gambill Playing Fields as the season neared. Some home games were canceled early in the season as it was discovered that foul balls were dropping onto the local exit ramp off of Route 66. The existing backstop, designed to stand straight up in the air, was not adequate in stopping fouls hit by players over the right field fence. Cars coming off the ramp at speeds of fifty or sixty miles an hour were in danger of being hit by baseballs, a serious liability for the school system.

A contractor was commissioned to add an extra backstop and an overhanging net to catch more of the balls, changes which were made several weeks ago, inspected and approved by Athletic Director Tom Horn. Play resumed in the middle of the season, and the Mustangs finally were able to use their new field in a game situation. After opening the season against Manassas Park, the team rolled through the season, playing a host of opponents in the new facilities. But as the season progressed, it was again realized that the additions were almost as inadequate in stopping balls bound for the access road. 

"Before the extra fence, there were about ten balls going onto 66 a game. After Manassas, it was only about two or three, but it wasn’t doing its job in stopping every ball," said senior first baseman Chris Geurtsen.

Play was suspended again for Tuesday’s game against non-district Flint Hill, and the fields will not be open again this season. This cancels the game that has consistently had the highest attendance in seasons past and ends the year without a Senior Day for the team’s graduating players. 

News Press Day at the Ballgame has been a crowd pleasing event for more than five years, but has been canceled this season and last because of the aforementioned problems with field renovation. Besides losing it’s signature yearly event, the News Press never saw the scoreboard it purchased two seasons ago in use once the home year got underway due to a problem with the electrical wiring in the field. The teams drinking fountains have also never been turned on, raising questions for many over the use of the school’s funding when the plumbing and electrical systems are still incomplete despite a season’s worth of delays.

While the work on the field has gone on for two years now, Horn asserted that this length of additional time was normal for such large projects.

"If a team comes out on day one and everything works perfectly then it’s a real surprise…It’s normal to take two or three seasons to have such a large project completed," said Horn.