Community rallies to bring ball games back to little Centerville

TRINITY COUNTY , Texas (KTRE) - The picnic tables were packed to capacity and all the prime real estate along the fence was taken up by lawn chairs at the Centerville ISD baseball field Tuesday afternoon. If you arrived at 4:30 for the first pitch between Wells and Centerville, you were too late for a good seat.

You have to arrive early to get a good spot. There are no bleachers at the ball park where grass is still trying to grow on the infield. There is no scoreboard so the best option is to keep track on your phone or with a piece of paper. It may seem like it is not the best place to watch a game but the field is a work in progress and last year it did not exist. Centerville beat Wells Tuesday 10-0. It was the first baseball win on the grounds of Centerville ISD since 2002.

“This was a community effort,” first year head coach Lawton Trekell said. “Our Ag shop made the foul poles. County Commissioner Steven Truss came out and helped get the field ready. Our superintendent was out there tilling it up. Our maintenance man Richard Wiley built the mound and set the bases.”

That is what happens when a school district, in an unincorporated part of Trinity County between Apple Springs and Groveton, only has 138 students in the entire district.

“Everyone had a hand in it,” Trekell said. “It is great for this community and it has been awesome to see. We hope to build on it and keep it rolling.”

Baseball left the small district but four years ago it came back. With no field on campus, any game the district played had to be on the road. For the seniors on the team, the win on Tuesday was everything they had dreamed of when baseball came back.

“Since my freshman year we have been talking about it,” senior Logan Whittlesey said. “It is nice to see it finally finished. It felt great. Everyone showed up and supported us and watched us win.”

Tuesday’s win was just the beginning as the team hopes they will build on this and it will not take 20 years to pick up their next home win.

“It is a lot better than driving everywhere,” junior Aydn Self said. “That is for sure. We finally get to stay home and have our fans show up every time. It has been a fun experience.”

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