Colusa baseball receives grant

Mike West resurrected the Colusa High baseball program on the field this season, and now the team's facilities are about to receive an upgrade to go along with it.

Colusa High was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF), which will be used to renovate and rebuild the varsity and junior varsity fields at the high school.

Both fields at Colusa High will be refurbished with professional grade turf infields, outfield fences, new bullpens and cinderblock dugouts.

The BTF is designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support baseball programs across America.

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2009, BTF was founded by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association and has awarded more than 400 grants worth almost $16 million.

"This is a wonderful opportunity, not only for our program, but for the children who play the game," West said. "All of our local programs have had success recently on the field and we've seen signs of increased participation at all levels. We hope the providing quality facilities will continue the trend."

The project is a collaborative effort between the high school, Little League and American Legion programs. Colusa Unified School District is the lead agency on the project.

The two fields in Colusa are the only 90-foot diamonds in the city.

"This project simply would not fly without the generous support of local contractors, parents and the CUSD maintenance department," said project coordinator Joe Williamson.