Things have been in the works for a new baseball stadium at South Florida for the last few years, and it looks like that talk has finally turned into reality. The USF Board of Trustees has approved a $30 million dollar project that will upgrade several facilties on the school’s campus.
Construction on facilities for USF baseball, football, softball, and basketball could begin as soon as the first quarter of 2010. The university’s Board of Governors must give final approval for the project at its December 10th meeting (next Thursday).
Here are the details of the project from a USF press release:
The Frank Morsani Football Practice Facility will be directly east of the USF Athletics Training Center and the existing football locker room, offices and weight room. The new practice area will feature three side-by-side full-length football fields that will run north and south. Two of the fields will be natural grass, while the third will feature an artificial surface.
Both the baseball stadium and new softball stadium are expected to be located along the east side of Bull Run Drive and provide spectacular curb appeal for the Athletics District.
USF Head Coach Lelo Prado
The new baseball stadium will remain on the same footprint as the existing field, but will be realigned in order to create a plaza and ticketing area that is shared with the new softball stadium. Current plans have the softball field located south of the baseball stadium.
The baseball stadium is expected to include new step-down team dugouts, bullpens, covered batting cages, multiple party pavilions, a press box and a 1,500 seat spectator grandstand with a shade canopy, an elevated, shaded entertainment or hospitality deck and service amenities. The overall capacity of the stadium is expected to exceed 3,000 and is being designed to accommodate additional seating that will enable USF to host NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals.
The softball stadium is expected to feature a new lighted natural grass sports field, step-down team dugouts, bullpens, covered batting cages, multiple party pavilions, a press box and a 700-seat spectator grandstand with a shade canopy, an elevated, shaded entertainment or hospitality deck and service amenities. The overall capacity of the stadium is expected to exceed 1,500 and is being designed to accommodate NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals.
The Les and Pam Muma Basketball Center will include men’s and women’s basketball practice gymnasia and team support facilities including locker rooms, offices, meeting rooms, athletic training, strength training and equipment management facilities. The center will allow internal access to the event level of the existing Sun Dome.
The footprint for the Muma Center is currently located on the south side of the Sun Dome.
The basketball teams will continue to compete in the Sun Dome and practice in the Sun Dome and Corral while construction occurs on the Muma facility, however the baseball and softball programs will have to relocate for the duration of the 2009 competition calendar.
USF is still working on details related to practice and competition sites for the softball and baseball programs for spring of 2010 seasons. Information will be announced in the coming weeks.
USF has contracted design/build solution provider R.R. Simmons, which built the USF Athletics Training Center in 2005, and global design practice specialist and architectural firm Populous to lead the construction of the Athletics District Facilities.
USF Photo