{"id":581028,"date":"2026-02-19T13:09:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/581028\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T13:09:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:09:06","slug":"ont-field-prepares-for-its-first-pitch-in-ontario-press-enterprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/581028\/","title":{"rendered":"ONT Field prepares for its first pitch in Ontario \u2013 Press Enterprise"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Ontario Tower Buzzers \u2014 the single-A affiliate<\/a> of the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> \u2014 are almost ready to play ball.<\/p>\n

In less than two months, the Buzzers<\/a> will step into a newly built, 6,000-seat aviation-themed stadium<\/a>, ONT Field.<\/p>\n

The city-owned minor league ballpark<\/a> is part of a sports complex \u2014 known as the Ontario Sports Empire \u2014 that includes soccer, football and softball fields as well as tennis, pickleball and basketball courts. The complex will also have a youth sports training facility, an aquatics center and a commercial center for restaurants, bars and retail, according to the city\u2019s webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After 16 months of construction, Ontario Tower Buzzers General Manager Allan Benavides said the field is almost ready for the public to enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mural of Los Angeles Dodger legend Fernando Valenzuela is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on a wall along the third base side of ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Gate A stadium entrance at ONT Field in Ontario is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, during a tour of the home of the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the single A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Gate A stadium entrance at ONT Field in Ontario is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, during a tour of the home of the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the single A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Dugout Club on the second level is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, during a tour of ONT Field in Ontario, the home of the Ontario Tower Buzzers. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Balcony<\/p>\n

Balcony seating is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, outside the Dugout Club on the second level of ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Blue<\/p>\n

Blue padded seats are seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, behind home plate at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"One<\/p>\n

One of six Flight Cabin suites, which hold up to 13 guests, is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in the main concourse between third base and home plate at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Workers<\/p>\n

Workers measure the space between bases Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A worker measures the space between bases Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at ONT Field in Ontario, the home of the Ontario Tower Buzzers. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Workers<\/p>\n

Workers measure the space between bases Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A pair of uncompleted field suites are seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, between home and third base at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A grass seating area in right field of ONT Field in Ontario, seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, will have the cheapest seats in the 6,000-seat stadium. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A right field grass seating area at ONT Field in Ontario, seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, will have the cheapest seats in the 6,000-seat stadium. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A wiffle ball field is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at the end of the first base line at ONT Field. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mural of Los Angeles Dodger legend Fernando Valenzuela is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on a wall along the third base side of ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An area for the disabled is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, outside the right field wall at ONT Field in Ontario, home of the Ontario Tower Buzzers. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Seating<\/p>\n

Seating along the third base line of ONT Field in Ontario is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A picnic area above the third base line at ONT Field in Ontario is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The outside balcony of one of the 11 suites on the upper level of ONT Field in Ontario is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Baseball<\/p>\n

Baseball bats, seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, fill a wall near the Control Tower offices at ONT Field in Ontario, home of the Ontario Tower Buzzers. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Ricardo<\/p>\n

Ricardo Flores works Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on a mural outside the Ontario Tower Buzzers\u2019 locker room at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Ontario Tower Buzzers\u2019 training room is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Ontario Tower Buzzers\u2019 locker room is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Workers<\/p>\n

Workers assemble tables and chairs Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in the fan batting cage area on the first level of ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mural of Dodger legend Fernando Valenzuela is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on a wall along the third base side at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The fan batting cage is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the first level of ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Ontario<\/p>\n

Ontario Tower Buzzers\u2019 General Manager Allan Benavides stands in the Buzzers\u2019 player lounge Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Ontario<\/p>\n

Ontario Tower Buzzers\u2019 General Manager Allan Benavides stands Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in the Buzzers\u2019 family and friends waiting lounge at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A bar and food stands are seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in the Baggage Hall hanger in the centerfield area of ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Dugout Club is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the second level behind home plate at ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 6,000-seat ONT Field in Ontario, seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, is home to the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the single A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It has many nods to the stadium\u2019s aviation theme. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"ONT<\/p>\n

ONT Field in Ontario, seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, includes a Dodger Stadium-inspired scoreboard. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 32<\/p>\n

A mural of Los Angeles Dodger legend Fernando Valenzuela is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on a wall along the third base side of ONT Field in Ontario. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got roughly hundreds of people working two shifts a day, six days a week to get to this point,\u201d\u00a0 Benavides said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be ready. Right now we\u2019re, like, 95% done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Construction contracts approved by the city<\/a> in October 2024 show the complex will cost $151 million, with money coming from $52 million in bond revenues and $1 million from Measure Q sales tax installments.<\/a> Measure Q<\/a>, which raised the sales tax, was approved by 53%<\/a> of voters in the November 2022 election. The revenue is allocated to the city\u2019s general fund for capital improvements and city services.<\/p>\n

The stadium arrives after a flurry of minor-league realignments<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers\u2019 Single-A affiliate is relocating from Rancho Cucamonga to Ontario, where it will debut in spring as the Tower Buzzers. The Angels<\/a>, meanwhile, are taking over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, which are rebranding from Dodger blue to Angels red<\/a>, while the Modesto Nuts are moving south to become the new Inland Empire 66ers in San Bernardino.<\/p>\n

At ONT Field, the aesthetic draws heavily on its naming-rights partner<\/a>, Ontario International Airport.<\/p>\n

Benavides said that part of the ballpark\u2019s theme leans into the 1986 action film, \u201cTop Gun.\u201d The Buzzers\u2019 mascot \u2014 a goggled bee wearing a vintage aviator jacket and red scarf \u2014 is named \u201cMaverick,\u201d the same name as the film\u2019s titular protagonist, played by Tom Cruise. The \u201cTower Buzzers\u201d is also an easter egg of sorts as it references a line from the film<\/a>: \u201cSorry, Goose, but it\u2019s time to buzz the tower,\u201d as Maverick flies his fighter jet close to the control tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to be like the pilots or the aviators. We wanted something fun,\u201d Benavides said, \u201cYou\u2019ll see throughout the season, we\u2019ll have a lot of fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guests will enter the park through \u201cGate A Arrivals,\u201d where Benavides said ushers will be dressed like pilots. To the left of the \u201cArrivals\u201d gate are batting cages with large windows, allowing anyone to see players warm up and \u201ctaking hacks\u201d at the ball while they are in line to enter the park or during free giveaways, Benavides said.<\/p>\n

Designers of ONT Field \u201cput those cages right up front. It\u2019s just a really cool visual experience to see. I\u2019ve never seen this at another stadium,\u201d Benavides said.<\/p>\n

Behind the outfield is a gray-paved stretch promenade with a lit-up runway. Planned at the runway\u2019s end, Benavides said, will be a 70%-scale Lockheed P-38 Lightning twin-engine fighter aircraft, placed on a 20-foot pedestal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s huge. And when home runs are hit, the runway will light up, the plane will light up,\u201d Benavides said, adding that it will be accompanied by shooting water several feet into the air.<\/p>\n

The Buzzers\u2019 stadium also features other common baseball park amenities, such as 19-, 22-, and 28-inch seats (wider than at Dodger Stadium), as well as premium hospitality areas. The field is overlooked by 11 Luxury Flight Suites, stretching from right field nearly to home base, priced from $2,600 to $2,800 per game\u00a0and accommodating up to 16 guests.<\/p>\n

There are also other options to get closer to the infield action by booking Dugout Suites for a more immersive experience \u2014 such as the chance to hear players chatter mere feet away. Tickets for dugout seating start at $2,400 and go up to $3,000, depending on the day. Both premium hospitality areas come with an all-inclusive food and beverage menu.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have elevated experiences here, for the fan that wants to have that VIP experience, we provide that,\u201d Benavides said.<\/p>\n

He also said there are options at all price points, even for the fan \u201cthat just wants to come out and enjoy a cheap night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above\u00a0right field is a picnic section where fans can set up blankets to watch the game. Nearby will be an ice cream parlor and a kids zone with a splash pad. Tickets for this section range from $5 to $6 per person.<\/p>\n

Below the stadium\u2019s ground level are two locker rooms that can be converted into two additional spaces to fit more athletes or performers, thanks to sliding doors that partition the rooms. Benavides said the convertible locker rooms can host multiple high school teams or mascots. The sub level also has physical therapy and training rooms.<\/p>\n

The ballpark also pays homage to its big brother, the Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n

Patrons can expect to find the famous Dodger Dogs for sale, along with similar color schemes throughout the ballpark. ONT Field also emulates the iconic hexagon-shaped scoreboards found in the Dodger Stadium outfield. And, right across the concourse from third base is a mural of late\u00a0Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela<\/a>\u00a0that depicts different phases of his career.<\/p>\n

Muralist and L.A. resident Jonas Never, who was commissioned for the project, said he hopes his work can unite the Dodgers diaspora living in the Inland Empire.<\/p>\n

\u201cFernando is such an icon, and I hope that it brings a sense of pride to the community \u2026 this is something that we can aspire to be when we grow up,\u201d Never said.<\/p>\n

Like Never, Benavides said he hopes the mural will\u00a0pay tribute to Latino baseball fans.<\/p>\n

Valenzuela \u201chad such a huge impact on Dodger fans, on baseball, Latinos, and Southern California \u2026 I\u2019m really proud to see that this is happening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Benavides believes ONT Field will create \u201cmemories\u201d for anyone visiting the park.<\/p>\n

Before the first pitch, the stadium is set to host a non-baseball event<\/a>, a concert featuring the folk-rock band The Avett Brothers, country artist Dwight Yoakam and special guest The Iguanas, a rock band from New Orleans, on Saturday, March 21.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, at the end of the day, we\u2019re putting on events, many of them happen to be baseball,\u201d Benavides said, adding that he wants everyone who enters the stadium to have a \u201cgood time.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the whole point of this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

ONT Field will officially open with the Ontario Tower Buzzers\u2019 inaugural game, April 2, against the Lake Elsinore Storm<\/a>. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets can be found by clicking here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Ontario Tower Buzzers \u2014 the single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers \u2014 are almost ready to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2406],"tags":[5,2178,39,44538,1165,4332,4333,1358,774,57,3224,4331,4,169,7512,44539,558],"class_list":["post-581028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-baseball","tag-california","tag-dodgers","tag-inland-empire","tag-la","tag-la-dodgers","tag-ladodgers","tag-local-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesdodgers","tag-mlb","tag-news","tag-ontario","tag-san-bernardino-county","tag-top-stories"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116097463201743484","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}