Lodi, Tokay baseball back at Zupo Field

Hubbard Field will host track and field championships again

On Tuesday, March 3, the Lodi High baseball team is scheduled to play its first game of the season.

The Tokay High baseball squad, under a new coach, is set to start its season early next month.

Both squads will continue to play their home games at Zupo Field, despite a devastating fire that took place six months ago.

On Monday, both Lodi High Athletic Director Robert Winterhalter and Tokay High Athletic Director Michael Holst said that their respective schools’ baseball teams will play their home games at Zupo Field. Elliot Christian High Athletic Director Ron Wilborn also said that the Eagles’ baseball team will also play their home games there as well.

According to Grant Plath, recreational manager for the City of Lodi, the stands down the first and third base lines are still in tact. The grandstands behind home plate, the press box and office were engulfed in flames the afternoon of Sept, 24, 2019.

“The field will be playable,” Plath said. “There will be a new controlled scoreboard panel.”

Plath said that the backstop will have open space. There are plans to provide a temporary table for all schools to announce their home games. There are also plans for each school, if they wish, to have their players continue to hear

their walk-up music when approaching the batter’s box at home plate.

“We will figure out a sound system,” Plath said. “Zupo Field should be operable on opening day for high school baseball. That’s our plan. That’s our intent is to be ready to roll as March hits.”

The grandstands were torn down shortly after the fire.

The Lodi City Council is expected to make a decision regarding Zupo Field.

Zupo Field has also been used to play Sac-Joaquin Section baseball playoffs. But this year, Will DeBoard, assistant commissioner for section, said that the field would not be used for the playoffs.

Lodi will host Turlock in a non-league game at Zupo Field on March 3.

Tokay has a new coach in Scott Campbell.

Elliot Christian will host Victory

Christian of Carmichael in a non-league game on Thursday, March 12.

Track and field

DeBoard also said Monday that Tokay High’s Hubbard Field will be the site again for the section’s Division I track and field trials and finals, which will take place on Wednesday, May 13 with the trials and Friday, May 15 with the finals.

Tokay and Lodi, along the rest of the Tri-City Athletic League schools in Lincoln, St. Mary’s,

Tracy and West, will join the Sierra Foothill and Delta leagues in competing at D-I meet.

In 2019, the D-I track and field trials and finals were also held at Hubbard Field. Tokay and Lodi, along with rest of the SFL and DL schools’ track and field teams, also competed.

The divisional meets are held one to two weeks after leagues and conferences hold their trials and finals.