Fielders prepping for 2nd season in Zion, but stadium may not be complete

The Lake County Fielders will start their sophomore season with a long road trip to allow construction of their stadium in Zion.

The minor league squad’s season begins May 26 in Hawaii, and the team won’t be home until July 3.

The extended out-of-town tour — including stops in Arizona, Canada and California — was scheduled to give contractors time to finish building seating areas and other amenities at the city-owned park on the northeast corner of Green Bay Road and Route 173, owner Rich Ehrenreich said Thursday.

The stadium was supposed to be built last year but wasn’t, leaving Fielders fans to sit on temporary bleachers for the entire 2010 season. And early in the season, the Fielders had to play home games at a Wisconsin college.

Work on the stadium began this spring, Ehrenreich said. The temporary bleachers are gone, and in their place will be traditional stadium seating, permanent bleachers with backs, grassy inclines that have become standard features at minor league parks and party decks.

Stadium capacity will be more than 6,000, and that will include some 3,000 traditional bucket-style seats, Ehrenreich said.

Ehrenreich is hopeful the work will be done by the July 3 home opener against the Yuma Scorpions. The game — and all other home games this season — will be held even if the stadium isn’t completed by then, he said.

Regardless, the Fielders park “is certainly going to be a better situation than last year,” Ehrenreich said.

“We’re hoping (fans) can expect everything, but it’s a little too early to tell,” he said.

If the work isn’t done by July 3, construction will continue during the season — but not during games, Ehrenreich said.

“We’re not going to stop and wait until the end of the season,” he said. “We’re going to keep going.”

The owner partially blamed the continued delays on funding issues. Zion officials had been waiting for state grants that didn’t materialize, he said.

“It’s kind of hard to ask the state for money,” Ehrenreich said. “It’s a long line.”

Zion Economic Development Director Delaine Rogers said she’s looking forward to the 2011 Fielders season. The city is “working everyday” to meet the construction deadlines, she said.

The Fielders went 41-59 in their inaugural season in the independent Northern League. This year they’ve moved to the North American League, the largest professional independent baseball league.

The Fielders will play in the Northern Division with the Calgary Vipers, the Chico Outlaws, the Edmonton Capitals and the Maui Na Koa Ikaika.

The season runs through September.