ZION – If you build it, they will come.

You just have to build it first.

Friday, June 11, was to be the first home game for Lake County’s new minor league baseball team, the Lake County Fielders.

The Fielders will be the home team Friday, but they’ll host the Gary Railcats at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., while they await the finish of construction on their new stadium in Zion.

The team’s actual home opener now will take place July 2 against the Railcats, team officials said.

Though Fielders personnel said it will be great to finally be able to play at home, playing the first two months on the road might have been a blessing.

“I’m glad we had to start on the road,” shortstop Kyle Higgins said. “It’s easier [to bond with your teammates]. You have these long bus trips, you have to stay together in hotels – I think with a new team, that’s actually an advantage for us.”

“People have waited 20 years for minor league baseball in Lake County,” Fielders president Rich Ehrenreich said. “Everyone has to wait a little bit longer, but ... the response since we made that announcement [about our first home game] has been nothing but positive.”

And, of course, the question everyone has been dying to ask – will Kevin Costner come to watch his team play in person?

"Kevin will make it out this year," Ehrenreich said. "He's a busy guy. He's making movies; he just had a baby, but I expect him out in late July."

The field
The Fielders front office has 1,000 season ticket holders for the newest addition to the independent Northern League, despite the fact that all 15 home games scheduled for June will be played at Carthage College's baseball facility, Ehrenreich said.

How those purchased tickets will be dispensed for the home-away-from-home games in a much smaller ballpark was uncertain, he said June 7.

However, it is clear that a small, but steady crowd of supporters is blossoming in Lake County.

“We could have gone and played [our home games] in bigger stadiums, but we didn’t feel it was fair to take them out of their market,” Ehrenreich said. “Our fans are all in Lake County, Kenosha County, Racine County ... we’re seeing a little Fielders nation crop up. People love the rural baseball logo.”

Grading and site preparation had begun last summer on the original site of the Fielders stadium, at Green Bay Road and Ninth Street in Zion. However, in April – about two months before the scheduled home opener – news came that the field was being moved to the northeast corner of Green Bay Road and Route 173 in Zion.

“It was just a timing deal,” Ehrenreich said. “The land we’re on now wasn’t available when we first started.”

The new site is more visible and recognizable, he said. Plus, the old site had some Environmental Protection Agency challenges.

However, the move – and poor weather – pushed back construction plans, and the 2010 season will have a temporary stadium, Ehrenreich said. Mass grading and field installation began earlier this week; soon top soil will be added. By the end of June, seeding will go down and bleachers for 6,000 fans will be temporarily installed. (The plans for the finished 2011 stadium are shown on page 5.)

“Every time a curve comes our way, we adapt, and that’s what you have to do,” Ehrenreich said. “The city of Zion has just been remarkable on how they’ve adapted to everything ... it’s really the leadership at City Hall that’s made this happen.”

The team
Regardless of where the Fielders play, they have a job to do, team manager Fran Riordan said.

“We’re not here just to show up,” he said. “You want to win.”

With a 6-11 record as of June 7, the team is far from satisfied. But Riordan – who coached six seasons with the Kalamazoo Kings and had an extensive playing career before that – said he was impressed with the team’s attitude.

“It’s a little disappointing,” Riordan said of the team’s slow start. “You don’t want to start the season behind the eight ball ... [but] I think we’re going to be an improved club moving forward. These guys play hard; these guys love to play the game, and these guys play together ... they never gripe about anything, and I think that’s what’s really impressive.”

The team’s hitting has been “pretty subpar,” Riordan said. But their defense – which Riordan said is top in the league – and pitching has kept the Fielders in many close games and will continue to help them throughout the season.

Already, some standout players are making their mark.

Third-baseman Amos Ramon came with Riordan from Kalamazoo and has been one of the most consistent players on the team, Riordan said. The 26-year-old was batting .270 before the Fielders’ doubleheader June 9 and is an exciting player to watch, Riordan said.

Meanwhile, Dominic Fortini, the Fielders’ play-by-play announcer, said he’s enjoyed watching 22-year-old right-hander Garrett Sherrill (.77 ERA as of June 4) work out of the bull pen, as well as seeing the excellent defensive work of Higgins.

“It’s fun to see guys kind of working through some of the slow times,” Fortini added. “If you fail seven times out of 10 in baseball, you’re a great player. So, it’s nice to see them work through a slump and come through with a big spot.”

The team doesn’t have to come home to win games, the Fielders made sure to point out. However, a home crowd can warm the heart.

“I’m looking forward to it, I know that,” Higgins said. “Once I found out I was going to playing [in Lake County], I looked on the website and saw all the artists renderings of the stadium. I’ve never played in a stadium that nice at home, ever.”

“Being around Lake County the last couple of weeks, there is some excitement,” Fortini said. “We want to play a home game. We really do. We’ll be happy to hear the cheers.”

Tune in to games

Fans can listen to Lake County Fielders games at WKRS 1220-AM. Or, listen live at www.lakecountybaseball.com/listen-live.