New baseball stadium opens at Notre Dame HS

A new $3 million baseball stadium was dedicated earlier this year at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks with a grand ceremony that included an alumni game plus performances by singer Neil Diamond and the Notre Dame High School Irish Knight Marching Band.

Construction on the 215-seat stadium began in August 2013 and was opened for the 2014 baseball season. The naming of the stadium, Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, is the result of a generous, anonymous gift by a Marine Corps veteran associated with the school.

Ceremony invitees included more than 700 alumni baseball players, among them 1993 Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell and current MLB star Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins (who leads the National League in homeruns and runs batted in as of May 5).

Father Mike Wakefield, pastor of nearby St. Francis de Sales Church, blessed the stadium at the dedication ceremony. Fans also were treated to a performance of “Sweet Caroline” by Diamond, a friend of Dennis Dugan, one of the primary supporters of the stadium project. Alumni and parents who contributed to the stadium will be honored by the naming of sections and individual seats.