With a strong spring season, Heppner continues to reap the benefits from investing in top-notch baseball and softball hitting facilities in the past five years.

The school built 40x88-foot facilities for softball in 2019 and baseball in 2023 at the cost of $315,000 each. They were made possible by contributions from the Howard & Beth Bryant Foundation, Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Pendleton, the Morrow County Unified Recreation District and Heppner's booster club.

“I feel like it's really created some momentum and helped our kids develop skills earlier,” said football coach Greg Grant, who helped oversee the projects before stepping down as athletic director this year. “They've talked about what a difference that has made.”

Heppner's softball team went 16-9 last season, making its first 2A/1A quarterfinal appearance since 2013, which was the Mustangs' last previous winning season. The baseball team finished 18-7, taking second place in Special District 7 and making the second round of the state playoffs.

In the past, Heppner softball players made a two-hour round trip to Pendleton to use an indoor hitting facility and baseball players hit at the beef barn at the local fairgrounds. Now they have their own year-round, air-conditioned batting cages.

“Everybody in eastern Oregon wishes they had somewhere to go,” Grant said. “The beef barn was the coldest, dustiest place I've ever been. They suffered there for decades. So when we had the opportunity, we stepped up.

“We have an atmosphere where teaching and learning is more comfortable. It's just been fantastic. Our youth kids are able to use it. It helps them get a head-start on things.”

Both facilities are owned and operated by the school district. The softball facility is on school-leased property next to the softball field that the school shares with the local Little League. The baseball facility is adjacent to the high school baseball field on the school campus.

The Howard & Beth Bryant Foundation, integral in supporting community projects in Heppner, has been a boon to the high school. The late Howard Bryant graduated from Heppner – where he played football in the 1930s – and went on to become a successful businessman and avid supporter of local athletics.

The HBBF also renovated the historic Gilliam and Bisbee building in downtown Heppner, creating an event center and accommodations that sometimes are used by teams that travel long distances to play the Mustangs. Gold Beach and Lost River football teams and St. Paul and Knappa softball teams stayed there, according to Grant.

“We never had any housing in Heppner, so they had to stay in Hermiston,” Grant said. “We're bringing over all these teams that are able to stay.”

Siuslaw gym

Siuslaw's main gym has a new look after undergoing an overhaul this summer.

“It's pretty much a total gym renovation for a 50-year-old gym,” athletic director Chris Johnson said. “It's been 25 years since it's been taken down and repainted and redesigned.”

The school began working on the project shortly after graduation in June. Workers stripped down the gym floor and repainted it, using a royal blue that is in keeping with the school's official colors, rather than the previous navy blue.

The school also replaced what Johnson described as a “cartoonish Viking” logo with an updated “fast Viking.”

“We're excited about it,” Johnson said. “We cleaned the court up. There are hardly any lines on it.”

The championship stickers on the wall were removed and new track record boards were added.

What's new

A look at some of the new projects across the state:

Barlow's baseball and softball fields are getting an overhaul this summer, going from grass to artificial turf and adding new lights and fencing. The projects are due to be completed in September. It will catch Barlow up with district rival Gresham, which added artificial turf to its baseball and softball fields in the spring. …

Southridge has been busy, installing artificial turf on its baseball and softball fields, replacing the artificial turf on its stadium field and putting in a new track. … Westview has replaced its stadium artificial turf, reconstructed its track and resurfaced its tennis courts. The school also has new outdoor concession stands. …

Creswell, which upgraded its football field to artificial turf and resurfaced its track last year, is in the process of converting its baseball and softball fields from grass to artificial turf. The fields also will have new dugouts and fencing. …. Taft is replacing the artificial turf at Voris Stadium. It is expected to be ready for the fall season. …

La Salle Prep began reconstructing its four tennis courts this month, a $250,000 project. … Sandy, which last fall replaced the artificial turf on its upper field (baseball/softball/soccer), is doing the same for its football stadium field this summer. … North Salem has installed a new track, two years after converting its stadium field to artificial turf.