RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) – The sun was shining bright at Rio Linda High School on Friday morning as dignitaries and members of the Knights family broke ground on a new sports complex.

The new complex, which will be designed and constructed for baseball and softball, has been in the works for several years. Now Rio Linda student-athletes will have a facility that they can be proud of.

“No more home runs with never ending outfields,” RLHS Vice Principal Scott Myers said Friday at the groundbreaking ceremony. “No more softball home run derby’s because the distance to the fence is too short. No more lost instructional time mowing the lawns. No more discrepancies between the baseball field and softball field.”

The new state-of-the-art facility will have lights and a synthetic field. Dignitaries on hand for the ceremony included Twin Rivers Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Steve Martinez, Board President Michelle Rivas, Board Member Stacey E. Bastian and members of the TRUSD Board of Trustees.

RELATED: Rio Linda seeks return to prominence in 2022

“One of the things I love about this campus is what I love about Rio Linda, there’s so few places left anymore where there is real community,” Rivas said. “Rio Linda is a community. We know that this neighborhood supports this high school, they support these kids, they support the programs. So, this isn’t just for the high school, this is for the community of Rio Linda.”

Bastian is a RLHS alumna and vice chair of the Rio Linda Elverta Recreation and Parks District. Her father, Bob, served on the TRUSD board for 15 years until his death in January.

“I wanted to thank everyone who made this day possible, who had the vision to see that this historical field needed some much-needed change,” Bastian said. “This field demonstrates love for so many reasons. For the coaches, the students and the parents who hand watered it for many years and picked weeds before games.”

Martinez is in his 10^th year as TRUSD superintendent and worked closely with Bob Bastian.

RELATED: High school football teams to watch in your area

“I spent a lot of time with (Stacey’s) father and learned about Rio Linda,” Martinez said. “I learned what it meant to him and what it means to the community. We would often talk about future projects, I would share this vision with him, and Bob would look at me and would just nod and say, ‘That sounds good Steve.’

“I’ll never forget the moments that we would share just sharing coffee with each other and talking about what he wanted for not only the students of Rio Linda but the community and his hope that everyone can get along in a place where community is the most important thing.”

The ceremony concluded with dignitaries, faculty and student-athletes putting on hard hats and picking up shovels to break ground on the new baseball and softball fields. Players and coaches from both the varsity softball and baseball teams were present. The ceremony was such an exciting event that half of the varsity football team was present as well.

“I want to thank my dad, for I know this was a day he worked so hard at beginning,” Bastian said.