By Marty Budner
of the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers 

Since 1963, St. James Field in Birmingham is the only baseball diamond Brother Rice has used for its home games.

That's about to change.

Construction of a brand new baseball field is currently under way at a light industrial site in Troy. The new home to Brother Rice baseball is a five-acre parcel of land on Equity Drive, just west of the Walmart off Maple Road between Coolidge and Crooks.

The Warriors are uncertain if they will be able to play any games on their new field this season, although they may be able to get some practice time on it in late May.

No matter what happens this spring, Rice definitely will be playing on a new diamond next year.

“We've been here (St. James) for a long time and we appreciate everything Birmingham has done for us,” explained Brother Rice head coach Bob Riker. “But, I'm excited to have a new home."

“These guys deserve it. The players who are playing right now and the previous players. They had set the standard really high. They have done a great job playing on a sub-par field here.

“I would say we probably have the worst field in the Catholic League, as far as the Central Division,” he says. “It's time for these guys to have a field that matches all that they've done and all that they've worked hard for.”

Brother Rice has won three state baseball championships in its illustrious history. Riker led Rice to the Division 1 title in 2008, and Ron Kalczynski, currently an assistant coach, was head coach when the Warriors won Class A state titles in 1992 and 1994.