POCATELLO — Highland High School hosted a groundbreaking on Wednesday morning for its new baseball field, which should be completed before the start of winter.

Christian Colonel, baseball coach at Highland, said he hopes the new field, located behind the school near the tennis courts, will help his team take pride in the baseball program.

"They're going to have a field of their own instead of sharing one with eight other teams," he said.

Colonel explained this project is made possible by the combined efforts of Westmark Credit Union, the school district and Highland's administration. It is a project that has been about two years in the making.

"Two years ago, I drew with a crayon on a poster board what I wanted to do," he said. "I emailed it to Westmark Credit Union and we got it going."

Colonel explained he also hopes the new field will help his players build better relationships with each other and grow as a team.

"I want my kids taking care of their field," he said.

Colonel also hopes his team will be able to create lasting memories as they practice on the field. He said it's important to him that the team be able to compete with each other.

"I just want them to go out there and compete with each other and create experiences and memories that will last them a lifetime," he said.

The most important thing for Colonel is that his team is able to have fun on this new field.

"It's hard to enjoy it when you're not giving it your all," he said. "I hope they have fun doing it and play hard."

Colonel looks forward to the completion of the field and expressed gratitude for everyone involved in the project.

"I'm grateful to Westmark, the school district and Highland's administration for their combined efforts to make this happen," he said.