By Unsie Zuege
   The Victoria City Council unanimously voted to approve a request to rename the baseball field in Lions Park Poppitz Field in recognition of Mike Poppitz, manager of the Victoria Vic townball club, who has devoted much of his free time improving the Lions Park baseball park, raising funds for equipment, bleachers, and other amenities.
   Councilor Tim Amundsen introduced the resolution to rename the field for Poppitz.
   “Actually, it was my wife who mentioned it to me,” Amundsen. “We were driving past the field in April, and saw Mike out there. My wife said, ‘He’s done so much work on the field, she said. They should name that field after him.
   “I went to the city and asked Ann (Mahnke, director of parks and recreation/Field House)if the parks and recreation committee would consider naming the park after him.”
   Amundsen has known Poppitz for many years.
   “I met Mike when our kids were young and playing over in the field, and then my son played on the Vics a year after high school.”
   Mahnke joins in the accolades.
   “Mike has been an invaluable volunteer for the city of Victoria fro the last 28 plus years,” said Mahnke. “He’s been the Vics coach and he’s basically the ball field guru for the Vics. He’s helped with Lions Tournaments both behind the scenes and the event itself for 23 years, and he’s assisted with Holy Family High Catholic High School field prep. The high school baseball team plays in the park.
   “He does this all on his time,” Mahnke said. “He does all the maintenance and improvements on that field. He’s the one that out there getting donations or volunteer labor from Holy Family parents, the Vics. Mike’s quite an asset to the city.
   “I met him the first week I started here ( January 2008) and it was a memorable meeting. I was struck by his enthusiasm and eagerness to make Lions a premier field. We do youth baseball camps (Drills and Skills) here at the Field House. He and his guys run those for us, and he’s been doing that for quite a while.
   “He loves baseball and promotes baseball and lives and dies for baseball,” Mahnke said. “There are a few of them out there but they are the exception. I could count on one hand, the ones I’ve known over my lifetime that are like Mike.”
   The city plans to install signage at the field and present Poppitz with a commemorative plaque.
   The Vics season is almost over. Go to www.vicsbaseball.net for the team’s remaining game schedule.
   
Editor's Note:
Stay tuned
Look for a profile on Mike Poppitz in a future issue of the Victoria Town Square page.