With Opening Day less than two weeks away, the 2025 Wareham Gatemen will get to experience a home makeover that is over 10 years in the making. During this past off-season, the Gatemen, in collaboration with the Town of Wareham, completed a renovation costing over $900,000 to Spillane Field, significantly improving both the playing grounds as well as stadium seating.
“We invested in an MLB-caliber infield, dugouts, netting, and padding. The result is a field that the Town of Wareham can be proud of,” said Matt Merrick, Project Manager for the Wareham Gatemen Organization.
The project, made possible by the John Wylde Trust and Patty Wylde, includes a resurfacing of the infield, installation of professional, quality netting to protect spectators, professional backstop padding, and larger, modern dugouts that replace the older ones. This rebuild is a significant change from the Spillane Field of years past.
“We, as the Gatemen, knew it was time to modernize the infield, to bring in a clay infield and move away from the stone dust. The specific dirt mix was brought in to fit our needs and our environment. We are optimistic that with maintenance, we will have a ball field that will last us for decades,” said Merrick.
The infield was not the only thing improved upon. Spectators and scouts will also be watching the games differently this season. The third base bleachers are absent to accommodate a larger home dugout as well as provide a new “green space” behind home plate that, in the past, was inaccessible to fans and scouts.
“We are introducing a new green space behind the backstop for fans to bring lawn chairs to sit at their leisure behind home plate. We want fans to utilize this new ballpark to maximize their baseball viewing experience,” said Merrick.
The new field will not only benefit the Wareham Gatemen but also the Town of Wareham and Wareham High School athletics. The renovation to Spillane Field will allow players to showcase their talents and allow fans to watch them in a world-class facility.
“It’s amazing to see the transformation to our field,” said Wareham Gatemen Manager Ryan Smyth. “Better sight lines, brand new infield surface, dugouts, and netting. I am excited to get up there and see it in person.”
Smyth, returning for his third season as the Gatemen Manager, is especially excited for his returning players who played for the Gatemen last season.
“I have seen pictures, and I think they are going to be shocked at first because it is such a change from where we were at. They certainly will have a major appreciation for it,” said Smyth.
Opening Day for the Cape Cod Baseball League’s 2025 season is Saturday, June 14th, as the Wareham Gatemen host the Hyannis Harbor Hawks at Spillane Field. Game time is 6:00 p.m. The Wareham Gatemen Organization looks forward to welcoming you to the newly renovated Spillane Field to watch the best collegiate baseball players from across the country.
Photo Caption: A graphic created using a bird's eye view of the newly renovated Clem Spillane Field on May 18th, 2025. Graphic by Erica Torpey.
Edited on June 4th, 2025, 9:00 pm.
