CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The city is tearing down and completely rebuilding Diamond One at Yoctangee Park, known as Pete Wright Field, with a new baseball field expected to open to players and fans by spring 2027.
The project is not a simple renovation but a full reconstruction of the field, according to the City of Chillicothe, which shared updated construction photos and video this week showing work underway on the site.
Planned upgrades include new field lighting for evening games, an electronic scoreboard, dugouts with built-in storage, a scorebox for game operations, and an adjustable pitching mound and base paths so the field can accommodate multiple age groups, the city said. A new multiuse path will also connect Diamond One to Bolmer Field, another of the park’s baseball diamonds.
The city credited the project in part to the Appalachian Community Grant Program, a state initiative created under House Bill 377 that directed $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding toward infrastructure projects across Ohio’s 32-county Appalachian region, including outdoor recreational space improvements. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill into law in 2022, and the Ohio Department of Development has since distributed the money to communities that first went through a planning grant process.
The baseball field rebuild is the latest piece of an ongoing overhaul of Yoctangee Park’s athletic and recreational facilities, which has also included the resurfacing of the park’s tennis courts and the addition of new pickleball courts this year.
Yoctangee Park is a roughly 48-acre park in downtown Chillicothe adjacent to the city’s Historic First Capital District, offering baseball and softball fields, tennis and basketball courts, shelter houses, picnic areas and a disc golf course, among other amenities.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Chillicothe.
