Sunny skies greeted eager youngsters on Saturday morning, March 8 at Hogan-Ennis Park in Escalon, as Opening Day ceremonies were staged for the 2025 Youth Baseball-Softball Season.
Teams in multiple divisions lined up on the field for introductions, with the program getting underway at 9 a.m.
The Escalon Recreation Department program features 15 T-Ball teams, with Major League Baseball team names; six 8U teams with college team names. The Rookie league, with MLB team names, includes nine teams. The three 10U teams have college names; the four Minor League squads have MLB names, with the 12U and 14U squads with college names; the Major 70 and 13-15 boys with MLB names.
Altogether, there are 44 teams that will be playing games through the rec department this season.
Many familiar names are serving as team sponsors this season as well, from the Escalon Police Department to Hogan Manufacturing; Escalon City Council to Pizza Plus and Mid Valley Ag to Escalon Small Animal Clinic.
Along with the introduction of teams, coaches and recognition of sponsors, the morning also included the presentation of the colors by the Escalon American Legion Post 263 and the National Anthem sung by Cortney Ball.
Then, a formal dedication of the field was conducted, with it renamed Largent Field in honor of the late Greg Largent, a longtime educator and coach with the Escalon Unified School District.
Offering remarks at the dedication ceremony was Escalon High School alum Malinda ‘Mo’ Walker, who now serves on the Escalon City Council and is this year’s Mayor Pro Tem. She stood at home plate with Mayor Andy Hagan and detailed how important Coach Largent was to her growth and development, as a softball player and a person.
“It’s an honor to stand before you today as we gather to dedicate this baseball field to an extraordinary individual who has had a profound effect not only on the Escalon baseball program but on this entire community; Coach Greg Largent,” Walker said. “When we think about what it means to be a coach, a mentor and a leader, Coach Greg Largent embodies all those qualities.”
Walker noted in her remarks that Largent was born and raised in Escalon, graduated from Escalon High School in 1981 and went on to make a “lasting impact” on countless students and athletes.
He spent over 30 years in the classroom, teaching history and physical education at El Portal Middle School, while also coaching several Escalon High School teams including serving as head basketball coach at both the freshman and JV boys levels, head coach of the varsity girls softball team, a varsity assistant coach for the football team and, finally, the varsity baseball head coach.
Walker said each of his coaching roles was marked by his “commitment to excellence, his leadership and his ability to inspire young athletes.”
It was with the baseball team he found his greatest success on the field, earning 10 Trans-Valley League titles, three Section championships and two State championships after taking over the reins of the program in 2005.
Wearing the Number 9, the Largent family saw Greg’s number officially retired at Escalon High School in a ceremony there just a few weeks ago.
“Coach Largent had a special ability to see beyond the surface and find each athlete’s unique talent,” Walker added. “He could identify what made each player special and help them develop those skills, re-frame them and enhance them in ways that brought out the best in everyone.”
Walker went on to recount a personal story, of how – as a self-described ‘marginal’ athlete – she blossomed as a softball player under Largent’s guidance. Focusing on her lack of strikeouts rather than a less-than-stellar batting average, Walker said her coach guided her to hone an ability to bunt, allowing her to contribute to the run-scoring for the varsity softball team.
“His ability to see potential in every player and inspiring them to reach it was one of his greatest gifts,” Walker said. “Coach Largent didn’t just build athletes, he built confidence.
“Let us honor Coach Greg Largent today as we dedicate this field to a man who gave so much of himself to make Escalon a better place, one pitch at a time.”
Following Walker’s remarks, Largent’s father John and brother Mark took the field, with John throwing out the ceremonial first pitch as Mark crouched behind home plate. The plaque recognizing Coach Largent was unveiled prior to the start of the games on the newly named Largent Field. Coach Largent was born on Dec. 6, 1962 and passed away on Sept. 11, 2022.
Playing the first game on the field were the Adrian Construction Cincinnati Reds, coach by Donovan Adrian, and the Stump Construction and Manufacturing, Inc. Atlanta Braves in the Rookie Division. Greg’s son Steve is one of the coaches for the Braves, along with Kevin Hall and Matt Stump. Steve’s sons Enzo and Stefano are on the Braves team.
A portion of the plaque on the backstop at Largent Field reads: “The game of baseball was where he found his peace of mind. The spirit of #9 lives on every ball field that is freshly mowed, chalked and deemed ready to play ball.”
