HAHIRA, Ga. —  It’s not quite Ray Kinsella mowing down his corn to summon the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson, but Stephen Drew has his own Field of Dreams. 

The Hahira native and former major league baseball player has built a full-size baseball field on his 200-acre farm, also in Hahira. He happened upon the land 12 years ago on a quail hunting trip, vowing he would try to purchase it if it went up for sale.

Sure enough, the land eventually was sold to Drew. As for the field, the decision to build it was inspired by offseason difficulties when he was still in the majors.

He used to go hit at his alma mater, Lowndes High School, but his four kids mixed with less of a laid back attitude at the school made it tough for Drew to find a time to go hit.

With the thought of being able to train whenever he wanted, Drew set out to build the field. He hired a contractor, and by the spring of 2015 Drew had his own baseball paradise. In the offseason leading up to spring training, Drew said he hit 200 balls a day at his private field.

“To have this field, it was huge, it really was,” Drew said. “To be able to come out here and hit, do whatever, take ground balls. Don’t have to worry about a schedule, I can come when I need to come and get it done.”

Drew’s playing career is now over. Lingering difficulties from a catastrophic ankle injury suffered in 2011 forced Drew to give up the game he’s played his whole life.

Now, he wants to use his field to give back to the community that produced he and his two other major league brothers, J.D. and Tim.

Drew plans on turning his field into a host site for baseball lessons and camps, run by himself and friend and former Lowndes High coach Joe Mederos. He hopes to start with lessons next January.

He also wants travel baseball games to be played there, although he said getting the field in shape to host those games will likely take around a year.

It took a lot of work just to get to this point – Drew said the entire field was just pine trees when he first picked out the spot for it – and there’s work still to be done to get it to where Drew wants it. Once it gets to that point, however, one would never be able to tell just by looking at it that’s out in the country in the middle of a farm.

The field has the dimensions of a major league field – 330 feet down the lines, 375 in the gaps and 400 feet to straightaway center field.

“If you hit a homer out of here, you did something,” Drew said.

There are brick dugouts with benches and a bathroom. The brick comes up to a platform at one end of the dugout, which Drew said was designed at the perfect height for a coach to set a cooler full of Gatorade.

Speaking of hydration, Drew uses a reverse osmosis system to purify the water in the drinking fountains. There’s a plug behind the pitcher’s mound for a pitching machine, and a barn down the left field line contains a batting cage, weight room and a half-length basketball court.

“I made it to what I would want to play on in the big leagues, same grass, same dirt, everything,” Drew said.

These types of facilities will be welcomed by any player looking to improve the physical side of their game. But Drew wants to use his facility to show players that making it to the big leagues is about more than just how well you can hit or field.

“They need to know what it takes to become a big leaguer,” Drew said. “I want them to know who Jesus is, that’s part of it from my standpoint. It’s life lessons on how to work hard, it’s what does it take every day to play this game and to do it the right way. Respect the game, be humble, have confidence in yourself. It’s the whole nine yards.”

Part of this comes from what was instilled in Drew as a child. He said the family didn’t have a ton of money when he was growing up, but he watched his parents work hard every day.

His mother worked at Hahira Elementary School as a secretary and later as a librarian, and his father worked at Bayliner. Nevertheless, the elder Drew still came home and found the energy to run on the dirt road near their home every day.

“I look back and I got four kids and what I grew up in, man, I’m like, ‘I really am blessed,’” Drew said. “I try to stay as grateful and understand what God has really done for me in my life and try to use that and show other people.”

Now, Drew wants to show younger players how hard they have to work. He mentioned a player from Augusta who’s working with him now that got a little more than he bargained for.

“He gets here and he’s like, ‘This is straight boot camp. This is harder than what I thought. I can’t believe how much preparation goes into what you have to do before a season,’” Drew said.

Drew’s facility also offers the chance at increased attention and exposure for potential prospects. When he was growing up, Drew said it was a huge deal if there was one major league scout at a camp.

But given the connections Drew and his brothers have, the talent in Lowndes County now could have more eyes on them. For example, Drew said former Atlanta Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone has expressed interest in coming to Hahira next year for a camp, and Drew said he hopes to have other former teammates and coaches come to town in the future.

“We can get a lot of people that other people can’t get,” Drew said. “It’s just because we’ve been there, we know them, have a relationship and they’re willing to come down. It’s a big benefit.”

Drew’s field, described as his “baby” by Mederos, is almost ready. Even though the grass isn’t quite where either he or Mederos wants it yet, it’s taking shape as a facility that can turn into a Field of Dreams for Lowndes County baseball players for years to come.

“For me, I would love to see kids from around here get to do what my dream was and let their dreams come true,” Drew said. “Me and Joe to have a part of that would be pretty neat.”