Rockport-Fulton ISD broke ground Monday on new turf baseball and softball fields at Pirate Baseball Stadium, marking a historic investment in Pirate athletics made possible through a nearly $2 million gift from Tim and Debbie Chapman.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place at 2 p.m. RS3 Turf President Garrett Reddehase, RFISD administrators, and the Chapman family were present for the ceremony. Student-athletes, staff, and community members were also invited to attend.
In recognition of their donation, RFISD will name the facilities Tim Chapman Field and Debbie Chapman Field.
RFISD Board President Kenny Cruzan said the gift reflects decades of commitment to the community.
"RFISD would like to recognize and express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Tim and Mrs. Debbie Chapman for their extraordinary generosity. They have agreed to a donation of nearly $2 million dollars to turf our baseball and softball fields which will benefit Pirates student-athletes for years to come. This donation represents decades of the Chapmans' commitment, service, and love for the youth of our community," Cruzan said.
Construction begins immediately following the groundbreaking and will be completed by RS3 Turf, a nationally recognized leader in athletic surface construction and management. Over the past decade, RS3 Turf has partnered with professional, collegiate, high school, and youth sports organizations across the country.
Tim Chapman said a lifetime connection to baseball drove his desire to give back.
"I've been in baseball since I was 5 or 6 years old, umpired most of my life, coached for 20 something years, watch these kids grow up and it's just an honor to now give them a good field to play ball on," Tim Chapman said.
He said seeing Rockport-Fulton student-athletes play on inferior facilities compared to visiting teams was part of the motivation.
"When other teams, our teams go to out of town teams and they get to play on beautiful fields, then we have to have teams come into our field and look at what we have and it's kind of depressing, but these kids are excited. I've talked to several of them and they can't wait," Tim Chapman said.
Debbie Chapman said the couple's deep roots in Rockport made the decision a natural one.
"This is our home, our children, we raised our children here, now our grandchildren here. And so we've always been at games and dance recitals and everything. So to have, to be able to improve facilities for the kids, that's just an honor," Debbie Chapman said.
She said the new facility could open doors for student-athletes beyond high school.
"They can have a better experience in the game, in practice, it can just be a better experience all the way around for them to continue to further whether it's college or whatever," Debbie Chapman said.
Reid Ryan, son of baseball legend Nolan Ryan, was also on hand for the groundbreaking.
Eric Soza, athletic director and head football coach at Rockport-Fulton ISD, said the new fields will benefit the entire community.
"It's a field of dreams because baseball is kind of that sport that you always dream about. Bottom of the 7th inning, tied up ballgame, runner on 3rd, full count. And we're gonna be able to have that here, not only for the high school kids, but also the middle school kids, the youth," Soza said.
Soza said the facility will be shared with the broader community, as is tradition at Rockport-Fulton ISD.
"In Rockport, we share our facilities. We share it with all the community and this is just another opportunity for us to be able to do that, to give back to the community," Soza said.
He added that first-class facilities do more than improve the game — they improve students' lives.
"High school athletics, it is about the wins and losses, but there's more to that. This gives the kids an opportunity to have a belonging. It's something more than the algebra, the biology, and it gives them some type of family," Soza said.
Soza said extracurricular activities play a critical role in student success.
"When you have successful programs, whether it be athletics, whether it be fine arts, culinary, NROTC, all those things allow kids to be able to find some type of unity," Soza said.
He said the new stadium could also help attract coaches to the district.
"This is gonna be a first-class field, first-class project, and kids want to be a part of that. Not only kids but also adults and hopefully we can recruit high leveraging adults to be coaches here at Rockport Fulton ISD," Soza said.
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