A storied ballpark in California’s Central Valley will become the second U.S. baseball park to bear the Modern Woodmen of America name.
In a news release Tuesday, April 28, the Rock Island-based Modern Woodmen said it now is the official naming rights partner of the home field of the Modesto Roadsters. Renamed as Modern Woodmen Field, the Modesto ballpark will serve as the home of the new Pioneer Baseball League team for the next 10 years, bringing Stanislaus County families together through the game of baseball.
Modern Woodmen, a fraternal financial services company with deep Quad Cities roots, also holds the naming rights to the iconic Modern Woodmen Park in downtown Davenport. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, it is the home of the Quad Cities River Bandits.
The new name and agreement were first announced at a news conference Wednesday, April 22, in Modesto, where Main Street Baseball CEO and Roadsters owner Dave Heller called it “one of the biggest announcements that Modesto baseball has ever seen,” the Modesto Bee reported.
The original John Thurman Field was named for former California State Assemblyman John Thurman in 1983, the daily newspaper and digital news organization said. Today, the 75-year-old park is hosting one of the Pioneer Baseball Leagues’ newest franchises.
According to Modern Woodmen, it secured a 10-year naming rights agreement for the field. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
“This ballpark has stood here for 75 years and been an integral part of the fabric of Modesto,” Mr. Heller said in the local release, seemingly echoing his previous announcement.
The Davenport businessman said the park itself also is undergoing a transformation with an upcoming expansion.
“That process will be accelerated through this partnership and renaming this great ballpark: Modern Woodmen Field,” Mr. Heller said.
Main Street Baseball’s lineup
In all, Mr. Heller owns four minor league teams including: the River Bandits (Advanced-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals); the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Advanced-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals); the Billings Mustangs (Pioneer League, independent); and now the Roadsters, the Pioneer league’s new franchise. The new Main Street Baseball team was first announced late 2025, when Mr. Heller was announced as the owner.
“We’re proud to become part of the Central Valley and the City of Modesto,” Modern Woodmen President and CEO Jerry Lyphout said. “Baseball has a unique way of bringing families together and creating lasting connections. That sense of community deeply aligns with who we are and what we stand for at Modern Woodmen.”
Modern Woodmen, whose home office sits directly across the Bandits homefield in downtown Davenport, has long supported that team. Its partnership with Mr. Heller, and his teams, reflect its mission to improve the quality of life for its members and the communities it serves, the financial organization said.
Modern Woodmen Park has earned a number of high-profile accolades including being voted the “Best Minor League Ballpark” in USA TODAY 10Best.com’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards as well as in 2024 and in the publication’s inaugural rankings in 2014. For 2026, the park was voted as the second place winner, behind Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
At the news conference a week ago, Mr. Heller was joined by Modern Woodmen leaders including Chad Foster, a regional director, and Reid Conant, a financial representative as well as Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen, other city leaders and Roadsters employees, the Modesto Bee reported.
