PREPNET / SPEAK OUT

Which high school has the nicest baseball or softball field/facility in the county and why?

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BILLY HART

Mission Viejo, Baseball

I like our field at Mission Viejo, especially with all the improvements they’ve made. The Edison Field crew cut back and resurfaced the infield and reshaped the mound. It looks just like Edison Field. They built two more batting cages, carpeted the dugout and painted the backstop and clubhouse. It’s great.

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STEVE BARRETT

Ocean View, Baseball Coach

The finest looking, most professional, most aesthetically pleasing baseball park in Orange County is Ocean View’s ballpark. I rate ballparks by several standards: size of dugouts, seating availability, electronics (stereo and scoreboard), playing surface, batting cages, bullpens, hitting backgrounds, snack bar facilities, available space, personality and aesthetics. Based on these standards, here are my county top 10 baseball facilities: 1. Ocean View High, 2. El Dorado, 3. Fountain Valley, 4. Esperanza, 5. Edison, 6. La Quinta, 7. Mater Dei, 8. Servite, 9. Santa Margarita, 10. Irvine.

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JOHN BARTUSICK

Fountain Valley High, Parent

The facilities at Fountain Valley High’s baseball fields are second to none. Most schools have a nice varsity field; however, both fields (varsity and frosh) are varsity caliber. Then there are the five bullpens and five batting cage tunnels/hitting areas to go along with the snack bar and announcer’s booth. The clubhouse includes a coaches’ office and players’ locker room, which both lead into the home team dugout, as well as an equipment room and maintenance shed. The playing surface on both fields is always neatly manicured by boosters Larry and Terry Hanoian. Coach Ron LaRuffa and longtime booster Tom Hiroyasu should be commended for having the vision to build and maintain one of the most impressive high school facilities around.

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JONATHAN BASKIN

Sage Hill, Tennis

I think [Sage Hill] has the nicest softball/baseball fields. The grounds are nicely kept, and the view is very nice. It is also breezy, which helps make the games cooler.

NEXT QUESTION

How accurate are the statistics kept by high school sports teams, and how much should that information weigh in determining postseason honors?