Welcome to Carolina Thunder Baseball of Clayton
Here's Our Story:
The Cleveland Community has a deep baseball base. A lot of players have played on this field. It’s always been a private field welcoming unaffiliated teams who need a place to practice and a place to compete.
For 23 years the Grill Rd. field hosted baseball players from men’s leagues, high school ballers, and youth players. From 2016-2018 however, maintenance became more than could be privately sustained and the Grill Rd. field was abandoned. That is, until spring of 2018 when a former men’s leaguer who used to play and manage a team at Grill Road needed a place for his son’s travel team to practice.
Can this field get back to being a place for kids of all ages to play – even the grown “kids” who still love baseball?
When our non-profit Carolina Thunder travel team reached out to Linwood Jones regarding the field at the edge of his property where Coach Mark used to play, his response was simply, “Do whatever you need to do. I just want to see people playing out here again.”
But the field was essentially underwater…and the parking lot wasn’t much better. Did the lights still work? (Happily, yes.) The nets at the batting cage needed mending, but the concrete pad was still in good shape. The bleachers were severely weathered and the steps were unsafe. The field desperately needed to be cut, but it was too wet. We asked ourselves, “is this too much work?”
Despite the fact that this area has a growing population and a huge baseball community, there aren’t many fields for teams that are not affiliated with local parks and recreational associations. The foundational elements at Grill Road had so much potential to meet a need in our community. After much consideration, we decided to invest the money to strip the infield grass at the field and regrade it. Without grass on the infield, we would also be able to install bases not only for multiple baseball levels, but also for softball teams. 14 loads of dirt and one load of sand had to be brought into the field, and with the aid of previously installed underground drainage systems the pumps were able to dry it out. We also crafted a small grass practice field to the side of the main field for times when the field was wet or we needed additional practice space.
Over time we have been able to completely replace and renovate the batting cages and install lighting to that area. Equipment now allows us to drag and maintain the infield more efficiently. Bleachers have been replaced on both sides of the field. A 3-mound bullpen was installed to maximize pitcher training and we continue to improve the field drainage.
As with many things, the field is a continual work in progress, but we have come a long way with the help of the amazing parents who are part of this organization and for that, we are grateful.