Arnold Field: Home of the Sonoma Stompers

Arnold Field was built on land originally acquired by the Sonoma County Veterans Committee and where the local Veterans Memorial Building was built. In 1949, Sonoma Count offered the city of Sonoma a 99-year lease at the rate of $1 per year for 12 acres of that site for recreational purposes. Virtually all of the construction done by local resident volunteers and many Sonoma Valley businesses also donated materials. Dave and Don Eraldi of the Sonoma Valley Athletic Club led a group of softball players to work tirelessly and build the new field and organized a campaign to raise $25,000 selling “Friendship” bonds at $10/share as an “investment in the community.” By June 1952, the first baseball and softball games were being played at the field.

Ernie Mangiantini worked thousands of hours over the span of his lifetime to maintain Arnold Field… Chances are, if you were looking for Ernie you would find him at Arnold Field, as he loved baseball, this field and his community. Ernie’s son John and his team at John Mangiantini Construction designed and developed the large right field scoreboard, a tribute to his father, Ernie Mangiantini.

The field still carries on today, still operated by volunteers from the Sonoma Valley Athletic Club. Sonoma Valley High calls the field home for baseball and football, while also hosting its graduation on the field. Not only do the Stompers call Arnold Field home during the summer, but many Babe Ruth league teams do as well, a game is almost always taking place.