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Baseball tradition draws Texas Collegiate League to Weimar

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  • Originally published February 8, 2010 at 11:27 p.m., updated February 8, 2010 at 11:35 p.m.

  • Weimar Tomcats

    Following are the first players signed by the Weimar Tomcats, who will begin play in the the Texas Collegiate League this summer

    P Stephen Tromblee, Centenary College, La.

    P Trevor Lundgrin, Scottsdale Community College, Ariz.

    P Cory Keesee, ...

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    • Weimar Tomcats

    Following are the first players signed by the Weimar Tomcats, who will begin play in the the Texas Collegiate League this summer

    P Stephen Tromblee, Centenary College, La.

    P Trevor Lundgrin, Scottsdale Community College, Ariz.

    P Cory Keesee, Davis & Elkins College, W. Va..

    INF Scott Pasket, Centenary College, La.

    INF Collin Hetzler, Galveston College

WEIMAR - Chances are you've seen the lights.

If you've traveled on Interstate 10 between San Antonio and Houston or U.S. Highway 77 between La Grange and Schulenburg on a spring or summer night, the glow is visible for miles.

Veterans Memorial Park in Weimar was the first lighted field between San Antonio and Houston when it was built in 1948.

The lights have been a beacon for baseball on all levels. When the Victoria Baseball Club, LLC, owner of the Victoria Generals, was looking for a place for another Texas Collegiate League team, Weimar was the choice.

The formal introduction of the Weimar Tomcats took place Monday and even the cold front that brought showers and cooler temperatures to the old field couldn't dampen the enthusiasm for the league's sixth franchise.

Blake Koch, who will serve as general manager for the Victoria and Weimar franchises, also announced the possibility of a seventh franchise from Louisiana joining the wooden-bat league this summer.

Koch has no doubt Weimar will be a successful venture for Victoria Baseball Club, and a good fit for the league.

"We did our homework and this is the right location and the right situation for us," Koch said. "This park is huge attraction. This is the coolest place to come play. We've had so much support from not only Weimar but the surrounding communities."

Koch said the process of putting a franchise in Weimar was initiated when a group from Weimar, including Tom Strickland, attended a Generals game at Riverside Stadium last summer and expressed interest.

Strickland has managed the field for over 30 years and has been so instrumental in restoring the old park that the field has been named in his honor.

He began working on the park in the 1970's and his efforts have included installing a wooden fence, putting up new bleachers and expanding the press box.

Strickland has done an amazing job of retaining the park's traditional charm, while making it more comfortable for fans.

"This is the pinnacle of what I had envisioned," Strickland said. "I've seen one dream after another come true in the park and this kind of tops them all."

A head coach for the Tomcats has yet to named, but Koch has already begun signing players.

Koch acknowledged locating a franchise is a small community may appear to be a risk.

But he pointed out the community successfully hosted the Babe Ruth Baseball World Series in 2003.

Host families from Schulenburg, Flatonia, Hallettsville, La Grange, Columbus and Eagle Lake got involved and many will do the same with the college players spending their summer playing baseball.

Koch said Weimar got a strong endorsement from Generals head coach Chris Clemons, who has coached a number of players from the area at McLennan Community College, including former Weimar pitcher Luke Prihoda.

Koch was also impressed by Weimar's baseball tradition, which includes six trips to the state tournament and five Class 2A titles under coach Jon Wunderlich.

The tradition is shared by many of the neighboring communities, who boast state championships of their own.

The park has been the site of playoffs games involving teams from Class 5A The Woodlands to Class 1A Shiner.

St. Joseph makes the trek from Victoria almost every spring for an invitational tournament at the park.

"I've had my heart set on the Weimar area since the first day I saw the facilities and the community support," Koch said. "I can't tell you how much the players and fans are going to love the small-town community feel."

Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.



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