Former coach and Redan High School assistant principal Greg Godwin jokes that Chris Nelson didn't spend much time in the library while he was a student at Redan, but on Nov. 5, Nelson made up for all that lost library time.

The former Redan High baseball star and 2004 No. 1 draft pick for the Colorado Rockies sat down in the Redan library with his father, Daryl Nelson, Godwin and other Redan officials and hammered out details of a $50,000 donation he is making to his alma mater for an indoor baseball facility and two sets of uniforms for his former team.

"It feels good to be able to do this," said 19-year-old Nelson, who is making the donation from a $2.15 million signing bonus he received from the Rockies.

The 7,500-square-foot-facility, which will be called the Greg Godwin Baseball Facility, will include three batting cages, two pitching mounds, locker rooms, coaching rooms and a public bathroom.

Presently there are no public bathrooms near the baseball field at Redan High. Nor are there indoor baseball facilities at any of DeKalb's schools. Only Stephenson and Dunwoody high schools have lights for evening play and practice.

The decision to help the Redan program was an obvious one for Nelson, who graduated in 2004.

"All the white schools have indoor facilities," the shortstop/pitcher said. "While at Redan, I traveled to East Cobb to use their hitting facility in the winter months and when it was raining."

Daryl Nelson said that was quite distressing because the Redan players would then have to face the same kids throughout the year who had the proper facilities to work out in year-round.

Despite the disadvantage, Redan students did well. Over the past 20 years, Redan has had 15 players selected in the major league baseball draft and 60 others attend college on baseball scholarships.

For the past four years, they have dominated baseball in the state, winning more than 20 games of a 24-game season each year. During Nelson's junior year, the team went to the Final Four.

"We should be competitive this year," said Godwin, "but you can't replace a kid like Chris."

Still, Nelson's $50,000 donation won't be enough to completely do the job on a facility that Godwin estimates will cost between $150,000 and $200,000.

"We have made an appeal to DeKalb Parks and Recreation and the School Board," Godwin said.

Redan High officials are hoping the facility will be completed in time for 2005 spring practice. In addition to the boost the new facility will give to the Redan program, it will be made available for use by the community, benefiting local T-ball programs and others.