Walking the long distance between the fieldhouse by the football stadium and the baseball diamond before and after a long, hard game of baseball has been the usual routine for the Bakersfield College Renegades.
The baseball team has made this trek an average of 22 home games each season since the field was created in 1956.
Since baseball is not a year-round sport, the fieldhouse has been shared with football and track. A few years ago, however, the construction of a new baseball clubhouse began.
“It’s been under construction for several years,” said Jan Stuebbe, Bakersfield College’s athletics director. “It has been in the plans, (but) it’s kind of been sitting there.”
The clubhouse’s vision has finally been given a rough finishing time: this spring.
“It’s something that is an on-site facility,” Stuebbe said. “And it is a nice addition so they can dress right out of the field.”
According to Stuebbe, the clubhouse has mainly been funded by the George Culver annual Hot Stove Dinner.
These fund-raisers occur every January at the Kern County Fairgrounds and are attended by 1,200 to 1,300 people from all over the community.
Located at the baseball diamond, the clubhouse will include a locker room, showers, a few offices and a concession stand for the fans and coaches as well as the athletes.
Though the clubhouse lockers and showers will only be available to the baseball team, the softball and women’s soccer teams are not far behind.
Athletics’ goal is to build a clubhouse for them also, located next to the soccer field and behind the softball field.
“We want to continue to upgrade the facilities,” said Tim Painton, the head baseball coach. “The clubhouse will give us a facility of our own to shower and dress, and it will be a welcomed addition.”