Ground broken on Rails West Field — Pocatello High’s future baseball field

POCATELLO — The Pocatello High School baseball team has bounced from home field to home field, currently residing at Halliwell Park.

But ground has been broken on the future site of Rails West Field, what is expected to be the permanent home for Thunder baseball beginning as soon as opening day of the 2026 season.

The ceremonial groundbreaking was held at the development site, near Hawthorne Middle School, Wednesday afternoon.

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Among those in present to celebrate the ceremonial groundbreaking were Pocatello head baseball coach Vinnie Benavidez, Rails West Federal Credit CEO Paul “Izzy” Contreras and Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 Board of Trustees Chairperson Deanna Judy.

“This will be an incredible venue for the students of Pocatello High School,” Judy said in an address to the roughly 100 community members in attendance.

“I believe, athletics and other extracurricular activities offer a unique opportunity for students to learn valuable life lessons: teamwork, dedication to something larger than themselves and commitment to improving themselves over a lifetime,” Judy continued.

Those benefits, she added, “cannot be understated.”

Benavidez spoke previously with EastIdahoSports.com about the sense of pride this field will bring to the student-athletes who come through the program. Rails West Field will also provide responsibility to those future players, who will now have a field to call home and care for like a home.

“It’s going to be a game-changer for us, something that we’re really looking forward to,” the coach said. “It’s just a huge addition for our program.”

Contreras, a Poky High alum, also addressed the crowd, explaining how easy a decision it was for the board at Rails West to make this investment into the community and local youth sports.

“If there’s one investment that we want to make, we want to make it in our youth,” he said.

Rails West Field will provide Pocatello High School with a “state-of-the-art” facility and the accompanying “safety, performance and community pride,” Judy said.

“To our children: We do these things for you,” she concluded. “I hope you know that you are worth it, and you are important to all of us.”