Hawks enjoying resurrection of baseball program

HOUSTON — It’s not carved in the Iowa corn fields, but the Houston Hawks have built their own field of dreams.

Fans filled the stands and eight teams hit the recently refurbished field for a junnior varsity tournament over the weekend that helped mark the reserection of a Houston baseball program that is taking the diamond for the first time since 2004.

“Last year, this field there was nobody here,” Houston head coach Bill Kramer said Friday afternoon, as J.V. teams from Palmer and Wasilla played a tournament game behind him. “This field was completely overgrown with grass.”

The makeover of the Houston baseball field, which stands behind Houston High School, is just part of the rejuvinaction of Hawks baseball.

There’s a new coaching staff, anchored by Kramer. There’s a roster stocked with underclassmen. And there’s been a concerted attack of volunteers ready to tackle any project that stands between the Hawks and their baseball program.

“It’s been a really nice for a first-year program to have the kind of support we’ve had from the administration, the staff, the students,” Kramer said. “Our stands are typically full with fans when we’re playing home games.”

The baseball diamond, which looked like nothing more than a overgrown grassy field with a backstop a year ago, now has a manicured infield. There’s a new concession stand built by Houston High School shop students, and a group of volunteers — which included players, parents and coaches — built new dugouts.

“They basically put this field back into play,” Kramer said. “That’s says a lot.”

Kramer also applauded local businesses that have chipped in to help fund the restoration of Houston baseball. The Big Lake Lions Club, alone, donated $6,000 to the program, Kramer said.

Houston junior Mitch Montreuil is one of the players reaping the benifits of the resurgence of Hawks baseball.

“I’m pretty excited,” Montreuil said. “I wish it would have started earlier.”

Montreuil has played baseball since he was very young, but after moving to the area from Oregon as a freshman, he arrived to HHS to find a school with no baseball program.

“I was pretty dissapointed,” he said.

Montreuil does have a baseball background, but many of the players on the squad are still learning the game. But despite inexperience, the Hawks continue to improve.

“We do have a lot of people who havn’t played before, but everybody’s learning,” Houston freshman Scott Kramer said. “I’ve been so impressed at hme much everybody’s improved.”

Houston improved enough to finish second in its own tournament. The Hawks worked their way into a final game with West Valley, one of four teams from outside the Valley to participate.

In addition to Palmer, Colony and Wasilla, the Hawks also invited Valdez, Homer and Lathrop.

Houston is playing a junior varsity schedule this year, and invited only J.V. teams.

“That’s the whole idea behind this,” Bill Kramer said. “To have a tournament where the J.V. players shine, where they’re not playing in the shadows of the varsity.”

Competition during the first two days of the three-day event was round-robin, Kramer said, and tournament results for the seeding for the championship round were based on run differential and not wins and losses.

While the tournament was seen as a success by all, Kramer said, the event is just part of the process to build a foundation for Houston baseball.

“The athletes have done a phenominal job. They’ve put in a lot of effort into and they understand it’s a young program and it’s building blocks,” Kramer said. “They’re putting them together, they’re stacking them up and they’ve done a great job.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.