West Downey Little League names baseball complex after Mario Guerra

Contributed by West Downey Little League

DOWNEY – West Downey Little League was founded in 1957 and is proud of its 67-year tradition of volunteerism and giving back to the community and sport we love so much. In recognition of that in 2007 we named our Major Baseball Field Herb Welch Field for Herb’s over 50 years of volunteerism to the league and the Downey community.

We continued that tradition of recognizing those that have given so much to our community and on March 9 at our opening day ceremony, we were proud to announce that we named our baseball field complex the Guerra Baseball Complex in honor of Dn. Mario A. Guerra for his 45 years of support and volunteer work at West Downey Little League.

Mario has been involved in West Downey Little League since 1979. Mario through his years has been a board member for 30 years, league president for 10 years, managed for 20 years (managed the All Stars for five years) and was a dedicated volunteer. Most recently he was a coach on his granddaughter’s t-ball team which happens to be managed by his daughter, Haley (Guerra) Hessler and Tyler Hessler, who both played at West Downey Little League. All five of the Guerra kids played baseball at WDLL.

“We are honored to name our baseball complex after someone who has tirelessly given back to our league,” said WDLL president Eddie Vasquez. “He’s always there for me to reach out to and is available to talk to about the past, present, and the great future of our league. Not to mention he still gets out here, rakes and drags the fields before and after a game. Mario has always been hands on and we count on him.”

Over the years Mario has been involved in many community civic organizations, on various boards and community directorships, elected to the Downey City Council and serving twice as mayor. But even with the additional roles and duties, Mario has always been a supporter of West Downey Little League.

As an advisor and advocate for the league he was a great support for us over the nearly eight years our league had been displaced by the construction taking place around our fields at Stauffer Middle School.

“We spent nearly eight years going from location to location, keeping this league going and Mario was a vocal champion to get us back to our home field once construction was completed,” Vasquez said. “As Mario helped build these fields in the 1980’s it’s an honor to be able to name this complex after him as a thank you and as appreciation for all he has done. We are incredibly excited to be back at home and are grateful for all the years Mayor Mario Guerra has given to West Downey Little League and the entire Downey community.”

Mario was quoted as saying "I am incredibly honored and was totally surprised when they announced it. West Downey Little League has played such a significant role in our lives for all these years.

“I have had the pleasure of meeting amazing individuals who have become lifelong friends, and all five of my children have had the opportunity to play here. It truly feels like a full circle of life moment to now see my grandkids enjoying the same fields. When we had to relocate our fields from the old Meadow Park School in 1982, we had a vision for the future which lives on today. We built the main field with sunken dugouts so our kids can get an awesome experience and it shows. I am thrilled that our future generations will continue to benefit from and cherish these fields, now named after me and my family.

“This gesture means the world to us, and I am deeply grateful for this honor. West Downey Little League will always hold a special place in my heart."

West Downey Little League is proud to support the city of Downey since it was founded in 1957. As an organization that is 100% volunteer operated, we are proud of those who continue to give back to our community such as Mario Guerra has. Each year we support over 400 players aged 4-14 from across Downey and we are incredibly proud to also have our Challenger Division that supports players with physical or intellectual challenges ensuring that all kids have an opportunity to play baseball.