For generations, Joe Martin Field has seen its fair share of home runs and strikeouts. Of stolen bases and double plays.
Of memories and friendships.
Nestled adjacent to the Hart Highlands Ski Hill on Balsum Road, the baseball diamond in its heyday hosted provincial and Canadian Little League championships.
"I played (Little League) here as a kid, and the parents who are now coaches played here," said Rod Walters. "It (Joe Martin Field) means a lot to the baseball community and the Hart area. We all grew up here playing ball."
On Sunday, Walters, now the grounds co-ordinator for Prince George Youth Baseball, was overseeing a volunteer work bee to give one of the gems in the baseball community a little TLC of its own.
That's after Walters discovered earlier this week the park suffered a major amount of vandalism. Graffiti was spray painted all over both dugouts, the concession, and field house. There was garbage, including glass in both dugouts and Walters even found remnants from a small bonfire in one.
"It just happened in the last couple of months," said Walters Sunday at the ball park. "Earlier in the winter, someone had used a felt pen which was minor. It (graffiti) has happened to the field before because it is so isolated. There was a little last year."
For whatever reason, the bleachers were not damaged. Walters believes it's because they're more visible to passersby on Balsum Road
To return the park to its peak condition prior to the opening of the season on May 4, City of Prince George crews arrived on the site Tuesday and cleaned up the garbage. On Saturday, employees from Central Interior Building Supplies primed the dugouts, field house and concession with several coats of paint to cover the graffiti.
On Sunday, about 30 youth baseball volunteers, ranging from pee wee and midget players, to parents and coaches rolled up their sleeves and coated the walls of the buildings with several more layers of paint.
The paint was supplied by the city.
Besides painting, volunteers also raked leaves in the outfield, unearthed the pitching mound, and refurbished the base lines and home plate.
"We've had a fantastic response (by the volunteers)," said Walters, adding he was really disappointed in the damage that was done. "It's probably one of the nicest places to play ball and Joe Martin and the Martin family have done so much for baseball. It's a little bit isolated and that's a bad thing, but that's also what makes it a nice spot."
Joe Martin Field is one of the home fields for the tadpole (ages 10 and 11) and mosquito (ages 12 and 13) divisions for Prince George Youth Baseball.
It's witnessed a surge in its player numbers this season with 84 athletes registered in the tadpole category and 94 players in the mosquito division.
There are 406 athletes registered across the board, in all of their divisions, competing on 39 teams. Since 2010, that's an increase of 23 per cent.
