Softball program receives $8,270 donation for fields.
GILROY – Athletic Director Ron Hannon and Gavilan Athletics got an early Christmas surprise this week when the local junior college received an $8,270 grant from the Calpine Gilroy Energy Center as part of its second annual community grant program.
“Very surprising. Very appreciative,” Hannon said. “We didn’t know about the grant until real late so this is kind of a nice surprise that companies like Calpine are helping the community out.”
Gavilan College – which received the most money of any of the 14 grants distributed – will use the funds to revamp its softball field and surrounding area. The school has already begun construction of new dugouts as well as building a new storage facility adjacent to the field.
“We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board. This was really unexpected. It’s a nice surprise. We’ll have to go back and discuss things again,” Hannon said. “We were hoping for something, but definitely not $8,000. We’ll be able to do a lot of things to help out the softball program.”
Some other possible enhancements to the softball field under consideration are replacing the infield with red clay soil instead of the granite style surface; installing batting cages; and putting up a portable outfield fence to enclose the facility.
“I’m guessing the committee thought this grant would not only benefit our program, but would also impact a lot of people in the community,” Hannon said. “It’s a multi-purpose type grant with a wide range of benefits for a lot of different people.”
Hannon – who wrote up the grant and turned it in the week it was due at the end of October – has been steadily rebuilding Gavilan College Athletics since he was brought on at the beginning of the school year. The softball program is now in its second year after being lost in 2000.
“The first thing (this grant does) is it tells our current student-athletes that hey, we care about you and we’re committed to building a quality program,” Hannon said. “It lets them know that we’re not a second rate program. We’re committed to turning this around.”
