Adzick Field Frenzy

Rainy weather has forced the Clayton Baseball team to cancel multiple home games this season, and constant flooding of Field #7 causes most of the cancellations. The District plans to renovate the unreliable field and make necessary improvements.
Many members of the Clayton community feel that the current field does not measure up to the high standards of the School District of Clayton.
“Clayton does a great job educating its kids and sometimes we take the athletic part for granted,” said CHS baseball parent Bill Goodfriend. “If we want to be a world class school district, we need to at least have usable facilities.”
The new field will be named Adzick Field after a former teacher. “Nick Adzick taught history and coached baseball at Clayton High School from the late ‘50s through the mid ‘80s,” said Elizabeth Macanufo, community relations specialist for the Clayton School District. “Nick’s son Scott wants to honor his father with an upgraded field.”
Improvements to Adzick Field include new fencing, safety netting, backstop, dugouts, bullpens, seating, batting cage, lighting upgrades, scoreboard, press box and entry gates. The Clayton Education Foundation hopes to raise $2 million for the construction.

So far, the foundation has collected about $1.2 million to go toward the renovations. Funds have come from many donors including parents, alumni, Clayton residents and local businesses.
The Clayton Education Foundation has posted promotional videos on its Facebook page highlighting the bright future of the field. One video features Clayton alumnus and current St. Louis Post Dispatch sports writer Benjamin Hochman, advocating for support.
“I think back almost daily about Clayton High School baseball memories. So let’s do that for our next generation,” Hochman said in the video. “Let’s upgrade the fields for them and make sure that when they’re my age and when they’re my parents age, they look back and smile about their Clayton memories.”
Besides baseball, other CHS sports such as softball and field hockey will use the field for games and practices. Clayton students will use the field for P.E. classes as well as SummerQuest activities.
The Clayton Education Foundation hopes to begin construction in September 2018 and have a playable field in March 2019.
Macanufo said, “It’s really an effort for the whole Clayton community and we’re grateful for any support people have given and any support that they would like to throw behind this.”