Santa Clara. Some of the players who have been part of the Villa Clara baseball team, the national team, and even some who are now successful in the Major Leagues, hit their first home run, stole their first base or made a spectacular pitching performance at the Natilla Jimenez children's stadium in the city of Santa Clara.
Known by most people as El Beisbolito de Santa Clara, or El Sandinito, the sports facility, conceived to promote the practice of the national sport in the younger categories, was inaugurated on January 28, 1995, and it marked an important step in the development of baseball in the province.
Since then, several competitions have been held there, with the participation of children and their families, in a true sports festival, says Arlene Lisano Jiménez, director of the Mártires de Barbados Sports Complex, to which the facility belongs.
There are no limits to the passion and affection for Sandinito. The greatest pride a child of any of the categories, or their parents, can have is to step on the grass of this stadium. It is very rewarding to see the dedication of the children in the games and the joy of their parents when their children make a good play or hit a good ball, says the board of directors.
"I think that this place, more than a sports center, is a school of values, because here you not only learn to love baseball, but also forge character, will and companionship, among other virtues, says Arlene, who is proud of the transformations taking place in the Natilla Jimenez, as part of the activities for the sixty-third anniversary of the National Institute of Sports and Recreation (Inder, in Spanish), which will be held in Villa Clara.
Among the actions developed to maintain and improve the baseball field, the Director of the complex mentioned the repair of the roof of the facility, and the installation of 52 LED lights, which will allow a better use of the place, especially for night games.
Other improvements include the rehabilitation of the transmission booth, the installation of a new mesh, and the raising of the perimeter fences of the gardens, so that other categories can also play. Likewise, the blackboard and outdoor areas were remodeled, in addition to improving the ground by pouring sand and clay, explained the specialist, who added that the stadium was painted in the orange color that identifies this territory.
Translated by ESTI
