STEP INTO HISTORY: Citrus Heights Little League - A Legacy
Little League came to Citrus Heights in 1958 as the community kept growing. Ralph Hammond spearheaded the movement and served as the league’s first president. Other key individuals who helped founded the organization were Myrl Dossey, John McGrath, James Hyatt, Bill Aylesworth, Joe Giusti, Larry Burton and H.R. Lankford.
In its inaugural year, Sylvan School graciously provided facilities for the League. Thanks to the generosity of Citrus Heights community member, L.J. MacDonald, two acres of land on Watson Way and Old Auburn Road were made available for a Little League diamond. Today, this baseball diamond is known as “MCDONALD FIELD” and was built entirely by volunteer labor and donated materials!
Over the years, as Little League's popularity continued to rise, more youth registered to play annually. This inevitably led to maxed-out field use at all three CHLL locations (Madera Park, McDonald Field, and Rusch Park). In 1975, to better accommodate the players in our City, District 5 and Citrus Heights Little League met with the then owners of C-Bar-C Park (Lester Carrick and The Carrick Family) and established a new boundary! The league split into two, and Sunrise Little League became a new home for many players.
To this day, Citrus Heights Little League and Sunrise Little League work closely together to ensure that all youth have a baseball park to call home!