When it was first proposed, the goal for those involved in the planning and construction of the four-field Linn-Mar baseball/softball complex was simple.

“Everybody wanted to make sure it was done right,” said first-year Lions softball coach Mike Shipley. “It’s a tribute to the district, the superintendent (Katie Mulholland) and the school board that this facility has been done the right way.

"It will be the same type of showcase facility that we have with the new football stadium.”

Shipley, who was the longtime sophomore baseball coach before making the move to softball for this summer, and his baseball counterpart, Chad Lechner, can’t wait to officially start drills at the complex. Baseball practice begins on Monday with softball opening a week later on May 6.

“It’s just beautiful,” said Lechner, who will be starting his 11th season as Linn-Mar’s head coach. “There are so many wonderful things with this field. The surface is immaculate. The lighting is  fantastic.

"I think the atmosphere for the fans will be tremendous. The backstop is really neat with the netting and a kind of a bowl setting back there. It will be a great place to watch a game.”

The complex, located behind Oak Ridge Middle School in Marion, consists of four fields. There are game fields for baseball and softball along with practice fields for each sport. The practice fields can be used for competition and will be utilized by sophomore and freshman teams.

According to Linn-Mar assistant superintendent Rick Ironside, the project came in very close to the $3.2 million budgeted. Portzen Construction of Dubuque is the general contractor. Bush Turf of  Milan, Ill., did the work on the playing surfaces while D&N Fencing of Cedar Rapids did the fence work.

“Those were the three main companies working on the project,” Ironside said. “It will be a beautiful facility. We have some finishing touches still to apply, but it will be ready to go on time.”

Both main fields will be of professional quality in all aspects. The lighting was done by Musco of Muscatine and the dimensions will test the players.

“I remember a lot of times at our old field, I had a hard time seeing the ball in the outfield,” Lechner said. “That won’t be the case here. (Musco has) been out and tested the lights to make sure the entire playing field is well lit.”

The dimensions for the baseball field mirror those at Principal Park in Des Moines. It measures 406 feet to dead center, 325 down each line and approximately 370 in the power alleys. The practice field is the same down the lines and 385 to center.

Both softball fields are a symmetrical 225 feet to all fields.

“It’s going to be quite a difference from our old fields,” Shipley said. “These fields are big, but they might not play as big depending on what kind of winds we get upon this hill.”

As for the fields themselves, the non-grass surfaces are a clay-sand mixture developed by Bush Turf. The warning tracks are a crushed granite mixed with the clay-sand mixture.

Ironside said the company does most of its work in professional stadiums, but saw the Linn-Mar project as an opportunity to branch out into high school and college stadiums.

“They just re-did the infield at (Miller Park in Milwaukee) a few weeks back,” Ironside said, referring to the home of the Milwaukee Brewers in the Major Leagues.

The grass surface “is called a low mow blue grass which is specially designed for athletic fields,” Ironside added. “It’s not like a blue grass you would go to Menards or Home Depot to get. It’s a specialty grass.”

There is permanent seating for 320 fans on the softball diamond and more than 500 for baseball. The original design for the softball bleachers had a sight-line issue, but was changed to address the problem.

The complex also has locker rooms for both baseball and softball, a concession stand, rest rooms and a storage building to be shared by both teams and the maintenance staff.

“We have designated one person, who is a college educated turf science guy to be out there as the grounds-keeper full time,” Ironside said. “He’ll work the diamonds before games, during games and after games.”

Lechner said the new facility comes at a time when interest in Linn-Mar baseball is high.

“It’s great to see lots of kids playing baseball. That’s always what you want to see as a coach,” he said. “I think our talent is improving as well.

"It is an exciting time to be at Linn-Mar,” Lechner continued. “All the facilities are fantastic. We are very grateful and excited.”

The first baseball game is scheduled for Monday, May 20 when the Lions are scheduled to host a quarterfinal game in the Bob Vrbicek Metro Tournament. The softball team plays its first five games on the road and won’t play the home opener until a Thursday, May 30 doubleheader against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.