Maine's Field of Dreams lives in Sanford
- CoachDay
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Vanilla Ice Cream & Apple Pie, Barstool Sports & NFL Sunday, Summer & Baseball; it seems you can never have one without the other. Well, in the small town of Sanford, Maine, you feel like time has frozen as Vacationland shows it's much more than just lobsters & coastal vibes(not that I'm complaining). The Mainers play every summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, & it is truly Summer Catch in every way you want it to be.
First off, if you have no idea what Summer Catch is, your first assignment is to watch this movie ASAP. It will immediately put you in the mood to find Cape Cod & New England League baseball schedules & figure out how to fit them into your upcoming Northeast vacation. For me, after watching it as a kid, I had always wanted to witness New England summer league baseball, Yes I know weird dreams but let a sports fanatic live!! Well flash forward many years, with my wife getting a travel nursing job in Maine, the stars finally aligned to take the simple 30-minute drive from Portland, Maine to Goodall Park.
First opened in 1915, the park has a rich history, including Babe Ruth himself back when he was a Boston Red Sox, & has since been nicknamed Maine's "Field of Dreams" with big names touching the dirt over the years. You can just feel the community heading to the ballpark with cars street parking all along the roads & neighborhoods, all to get the perfect seat to see the newest rendition of the Mainers for the 25th anniversary of their existence. Right as you walk in, you immediately feel a blast into the past with the brick grandstands & an outfield surrounded by greenery & glimpses of colonial houses. You can just feel the community heading to the ballpark to get behind the newest rendition of the Mainers for the 25th anniversary of their existence. Also don't even get my started with their logo & jerseys, too fresh with a balance of retro & new.
From this point on, it was just grade-A baseball, watching players who are all hoping to prove they can play in the pros one day. On this night, it was a matchup against the team from New Hampshire, the Keene Swamp Bats. Though the players all come from different colleges across the nation, you could already feed off their energy. Every pitch, hit, & out felt so important in hopes that a scout was tuned in & their chance for their dreams was right in front of them. The Swamp Bats had one of the NCAA's best hitters on display, Eli Stephens, who just transferred to ACC powerhouse Georgia Tech for 2027. But on this night, the star of the show was UConn outfielder Nater Watcher, as he boomed a couple of hits in the Mainers' shutout win.
Win or lose, this is the purest form of sports, complete with off-day pitchers handing out raffle tickets in the stands, position players running to the concession stands between innings, & kids jokingly heckling players so bad all the guys could come back with was, "Santa Claus ain't real."
Look it's a memory worth it, for 7 bucks & a true New England trip, Sanford, Maine & Goodall Park is the way to go. For any baseball fan, summer baseball in New England needs to be on the bucket list, & why not do it in Vacationland with the Sanford Mainers? Nothing beats a Friday night at the ballpark with a beautiful sunset glowing off distant storm clouds as the stadium lights flicker on.
Also ALL photos are via ShotsByChanty on IG
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