AUSTIN, Texas -- In two separate groundbreaking ceremonies the Concordia University Texas athletic department announced that work has begun on the construction of a $2 million baseball field.
PHOTO GALLERY FROM GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES
VIDEO OF COMPUTER RENDERING FOR NEW FIELD
Concordia has received $2 million in donations toward the construction. Former CTX baseball player and current member of Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox Scott Linebrink donated $300,000. A gift of $1.5 million, which is the largest single donation in the institution's history, was given by donors who wish to remain anonymous. Another $200,000 gift was donated anonymously towards the construction.
"Without the long term relationships that have been built with our donors, we certainly would not have been blessed with the opportunity to construct this facility," said Concordia Athletic Director Dan Huntley.
The new field, which will be built overlooking Concordia Fieldhouse, is expected to be completed in January 2010 and ready for season opener on February 6, 2010, versus Southwestern University. The facility will seat 1,052 Tornado fans under a covered grandstand with nearly 250 seatbacks and approximately 800 bleacher seats with back rests.
"The new baseball field will be one of the top facilities in NCAA Division III baseball. The design has integrated some of the feel from our former campus facility, Keller-Faszholz Field, with the 20-foot left field wall and the covered grandstand," Huntley said. "With the addition of four batting cages (three of which are covered) and 10 pitching mounds, our program will be able to offer what other programs can only dream of. Our facility is set up ideally for practice, competition, and for running camps and clinics. The layout will definitely help in our efforts for recruiting quality student-athletes to Concordia."
The playing surface will be a FieldTurf Classic surface with the entire field being covered by the artificial surface with the exception of a clay mound. The outfield fences will be padded and include a 20-foot wall in left field, which will taper down to an eight-foot wall beginning in left-center field. The outfield fence will be constructed 325 feet from home plate down each foul line, 370 feet in the alleys and 400 feet to center field.
Other amenities associated with the field include above ground dugouts, a pitching and batting facility, which will include bullpens and batting cages down the third base line, as well as visitor bullpens. A Daktronics scoreboard that includes a video board placed just outside of the left field fence.
"Everyone is excited about the new field," said first-year head baseball coach Tommy Boggs. "We are looking forward to playing at our new campus and the guys are excited about playing the first game on February 6th."
Bob Galloway and David Polkinghorn from Jackson Galloway Architects are serving as lead architects for the construction project. Other vendors assisting with the construction include Sturdisteel, Universal Construction, Key Enterprises and Viking Fence.
