Borrego Baseball Swings Big at Petco Park
Last updated 5/8/2024 at 6:35pm
The Borrego Springs High School baseball team faced off against Warner Springs on April 23 at Petco Park, home of the Major League Baseball Team, San Diego Padres. /Photo Courtesy of Borrego Unified School District
For the Borrego Springs High School Rams Baseball Team, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For Head Coach, Andy Macuga, it was a wonderful memory revisited. On Tuesday, April 23, our baseball team of 17 and about 300 of their adoring fans and family made the trek to Petco Park in downtown San Diego to play a regular season game against their long-time rival, Warner Springs. There was nothing regular about this game!
With eyes the size of saucers, the boys walked out onto the field and felt the vastness and the "wow-ness" and the awe of being inside such a huge and impressive stadium. Everything appeared larger than life and the thrill was something they felt to their core.
How did two teams from such small and rural communities get this opportunity to play on the "big hitters'" turf? Every four years or so in the world of CIF (California Interscholastic Federation), a conference is invited to play one of their seasonal games in Petco Park. We are in the Southern Conference, Manzanita League, and when another conference was not able to accept this invitation, they turned to Borrego Springs and Warner. Head Coach Andy Macuga and Athletic Director/Assistant Coach, Tim White, moved with the speed of a fastball, accepting the opportunity and with it, the challenge of raising $8,000 in facility costs. This fee also included 400 tickets to the Borrego/Warner game, as well as 400 tickets to a Padres vs A's game on June 10.
But how to raise this $8,000? This is Borrego and everyone knows what happened next in this story.
First, the American Legion stepped up and hosted yet another scrumptious Sunday breakfast where the baseball team served, and all proceeds went towards Petco Park. Next, local individuals, businesses, foundations and resorts chipped in to donate to the cause. The baseball team hosted a carwash on a Saturday and raised over $1,000, thanks to the generosity of locals and the plethora of dusty cars in Borrego!
The $8,000 was raised quickly and within the speed of a line drive to center field, local Elizabeth Hernandez was singing the national anthem and principal, Victoria Baay, was throwing out the first pitch.
It was Borrego Springs' day at Petco Park. Our boys made us proud, beating Warner 14 – 1.
About Head Coach Andy Macuga and his "wonderful" memory of this moment..... 10 years ago Andy's older son, David, played in Petco Park with his dad as his coach and then on April 23, Andy's younger son, Andres, played under his Coach Dad's watchful eye. Next time you're in Carlees (of course, Andy is the owner) ask him how he felt at that Proud Parent Petco Park moment.
