A rendering of the new Ferebee-Hope campus.

/ Courtesy of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club

A new baseball field is coming to Washington Highlands in Ward 8 next spring, city officials announced on Tuesday, rounding out a larger development project that’s going to include an indoor recreation center, a football field, a basketball court, a community garden, and a playground.

The new field was partially funded by former Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer and his wife, Erica Scherzer. The 66,500 square feet of turf at the Ferebee-Hope site in Ward 8 will be managed by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, according to a press release. It will also be the site of a new building for KIPP DC’s Legacy College Preparatory school, announced by Mayor Muriel Bowser in January 2020.

The field will join a list of the Nationals Philanthropies’ “Legacy Fields” across the city, which are named after current and former players — including Bryce Harper Field in Takoma and the Ryan Zimmerman Field a few blocks from Nationals Park.

An official name for the field hasn’t been confirmed yet, and a Nationals spokesperson says that will be one of the last details of the project to be released.

“It’s fair to say that the site may one day be called ‘Scherzer Field,’ though the formal field name is not yet confirmed by city officials,” the spokesperson told DCist.

The Scherzers took a tour of the development project earlier this summer. Courtesy of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club

“Kids should have access to not only a great education but also the chance to play as many sports as possible,” Scherzer said during a visit to the site earlier this summer. “Having a baseball field alongside a basketball court and football field is exactly what I would have wanted as a kid. We are proud to support a project that brings all of these opportunities together in one place.”

Scherzer — who was sent to Los Angeles among the Nats’ flurry of trades ahead of last month’s trade deadline — and his wife Erica are well known for their philanthropy in D.C. Since Scherzer joined the team in 2015, the couple has been the largest individual donor to Washington National Philanthropies, the organization says.

Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, who weighed in earlier this month on the need for more community spaces in the ward, said in a text message that he’s excited to partner with the Nationals at the KIPP location.

“This complements our additional three recreation centers coming to Ward 8,” White said. “Our children need safe spaces and activities to keep them engaged as we continue our movement for strong youth development.”

The field will be located at 700 Yuma St. SE in Washington Highlands, a majority-Black neighborhood with more than 6,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14, and where 20% of the families with children live below the poverty line, according to the philanthropy organization.

The field will host programs like the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, and city officials say it will provide a safe place for children in the neighborhood to play ball.

“The field sits atop a hill that residents can see from any vantage point, making this site the crown jewel in the community,” said Jacque Patterson, chief community engagement and growth officer of KIPP DC. “When the lights go on, residents will know there is baseball happening and be drawn to it.”

Filed Under: Max Scherzer, nationals, ward 8,