Austin Reagan High School hosted the unveiling ceremony on 11 Januray 2011. The Major League Baseball Groundskeepers and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund selected the Austin Reagan High School baseball field in May 2010, for its annual renovation service project.
The outfield fence and batting cage of the field were completely torn down, and the bases and pitching rubber were removed. The playing field received complete resurfacing. The baseball field also underwent a complete overhaul, including installation of a new irrigation system, outfield fence and warning track. Laser grading of the playing surface helps in minimising bad hops and improve water drainage, and the planting of new grass.
Each year, the MLB Groundskeepers convene for industry meetings, during which the Groundskeepers go into the community and renovate a baseball field in need of repair. In 2011, aided by a grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund and with donations from three major sponsors – Toro, Turface Athletics and Covermaster Incorporated – and the Astros In Action Foundation, the Groundskeepers have overseen the complete renovation of the playing surface and other baseball facility upgrades at Reagan High School.
The ceremony also witnessed the official launch of RBI Austin. Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) is an outreach programme of Major League Baseball serving youth aged 5-18 in over 200 cities worldwide. This is the first RBI programme ever in Austin and the 11th program currently in Texas. RBI Austin will use Austin Reagan’s newly renovated baseball field for clinics and a summer league, reaching youth at Reagan and many surrounding schools in east Austin.
