Linda Yoshimura, whose son Kalani is a senior pitcher and first baseman, said: "We were embarrassed. We did have home-field advantage last year because the kids knew where all the holes were."

After years of planning, the state started its face-lift of the baseball/softball field complex at the end of the baseball season last year. Work included grading, new topsoil and grass, a sprinkler system, new fences, dugouts and access for people with disabilities. The field now meets National High School Federation guidelines.

Some visiting teams dreaded games at Roosevelt because the rock-hard outfield had several small holes that could easily twist an ankle. The right-field fence line was just a plastic temporary boundary that dropped off steeply into a parking lot.

"If somebody came here now as compared to a year ago, they would think they were in a different place altogether," said head baseball coach Kerry Higa. "The team has more pride in their field. They are not ashamed that this place is their field. Every other team that has come here has good comments to say. As far as us, our team and our program, we want to take care of the visiting guys as much as we can."

Higa said the visiting team used to sit on a wooden bench that was chained to the fence so it would not be stolen. To water the field, Roosevelt players and staff had to hook together several hoses and water by hand. Now both teams have benches inside dugouts and a sprinkler system is on a timer.

The baseball field is on the grounds of Stevenson Middle School across the street from Roosevelt High and is used by students from both schools as well as Lincoln Elementary.

The project included improvements to Stevenson's parking lot to allow parents to drop off students and turn their cars around and exit back onto Prospect Street.

During planning for the project, neighbors asked that measures be taken to stop the foul balls that regularly drop onto their property, and to reduce the dust and noise.

State planners said the sprinkler system and new grass will keep the dust down and the new 24-foot-tall fence along the first-base line and a netting system over home plate will catch almost all the foul balls. More netting will be added soon.

A new 4-foot fence right along Prospect Street has been installed to prevent illegal parking in the dirt and is expected to reduce dust and noise and improve safety by keeping traffic lanes clear.

The $682,000 in softball field improvements is a separate project and has just started following the end of the girl's softball season. Work will include new bleachers, ground work and a restroom.

Karen Shimabuku, who has had two sons in the Roosevelt baseball program, has for years been a driving force behind the renovations.

"It is something that I truly believe in," Shimabuku said. "I wanted the boys to have a decent field that they could be proud of and enjoy playing on. Once I started attending these meetings and pushing for it, you can't stop because that would be letting the kids down. There is no way I was going to back out."

Ron Nomura, Roosevelt's vice principal, said the challenge now is to properly maintain the well-used field.

"Our goal is to take care of the field not only during the season, but in the off season," said Nomura. "We cannot let the field get out of hand with weeds. We are going to need volunteers to maintain the field with some integrity."

Senior Kevin Fujii, the team catcher, said the improvements have really made a difference in how the team plays and that he is looking forward to a strong season.

"It's way better than last year," Fujii said. "It is all leveled off and there's not that much holes in the ground. There are no weeds sticking out of the ground. The bounces come up cleaner so you don't have to worry about too much bad bounces."