In between trips to South Korea for preseason games and extensive training to maintain his batting average, Dodgers’ first baseman Freddie Freeman is giving back to El Modena High’s baseball team in big ways.
Freeman returned to his alma mater Tuesday afternoon, March 26, to unveil a state-of-the-art baseball clubhouse created, in part, from his $500,000 donation given in 2022.
The 1,440-square-foot building features a locker room, a team meeting area with monitors and a coaches’ office in addition to larger batting cages. On the outside walls of the clubhouse is a mural of Freeman in a Vanguard uniform, accompanied by a list of his baseball accolades.
The entire project cost $1.6 million, with $1.1 million coming from Orange Unified School District. Freeman’s donation for it was the largest in OUSD history from a single private donor, district spokesperson Hana Brake said.
Freeman said he is honored to be a part of building something that could be special for this school and baseball generations to come.
“I have been in a clubhouse for a very long time as a player,” Freeman said. “Sometimes you spend more time in there than you do with your family. The bonds, relationships and stories you share are special.”
“When I was blessed enough with the resources to give back, that was what I wanted to create: a space for you that makes you excited to be here.”
Freeman still frequents his alma mater to train and practice during the off-season.
“I come here pretty much every day when it gets closer to spring training,” Freeman said. “This is a very special place to me.”
Freeman was joined by his father Fred Freeman, wife Chelsea Freeman and his three children at the sunny afternoon event.
El Modena baseball coach Josh Kliner, an assistant baseball coach when Freeman attended the school, shared a few words about his former player.
“I want to thank (Freeman) for how you represent yourself,” Kliner said. “You have represented this school in such a wonderful light. The way you hold yourself and the way you support your family through everything in your life, that is the stuff we are most proud of.”
“It is truly such a special day for our high school and our baseball program,” Kliner said.
The new clubhouse, said OUSD Trustee Kris Erikson, is “much more than a building, but rather a sacred space.”
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“This will be used as a team-building experience, a place for healing and personal growth for our students not only as players but as human beings as well,” Erikson said. “As a fellow alumni, I am proud and very grateful for Freddie’s generosity.”
Freeman was gifted Tuesday with an honorary service award by the Orange Unified Parent Teachers Students Association.
Freeman, 34, graduated from El Modena in 2007 and signed a letter of intent to play at Cal State Fullerton but forwent his scholarship to put his name in the MLB draft. After a few years in the minor leagues, Freeman was pulled up to play with the Atlanta Braves in 2010 where he stayed until 2021 when he signed with the Dodgers.
In 2007, Freeman was named OC Register’s player of the year in baseball.
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