05-02-2006, 10:27 AM
UC is having a great season in baseball, and this article from ucbearcats.com understandably gives a lot of the credit to the new stadium.
http://ucbearcats.cstv.com/sports/m-base...06aaa.html
Among all the new facilities cropping up around the campus of the University of Cincinnati, perhaps none is more impressive than the two-year old UC Baseball Stadium. The stadium rivals minor league parks for its aesthetic value, while modern accoutrements like the new video board make it a truly exciting place to take in a game.
"There is not a single part of our program that has not been affected positively by the new stadium," head coach Brian Cleary said. "We've gone from as bad a situation as a Division I baseball team could have to as good a situation as a team could have."
That bad situation was just a few years ago. Like several other UC sports teams, the baseball team was forced to play many of its games off campus while its permanent home was completed. Following the destruction of Johnny Bench Field in the fall of 2002, the Bearcats played the entire 2003 season and all but three games of the 2004 season at Midland Field in Amelia, the home of the College of Mount St. Joseph baseball team and the Midland Redskins summer league team.
Sharing the facility meant sometimes playing at undesirable times. For practice, the team shared Nippert Stadium, the only outside on-campus area suitable for a baseball team, with the football team, the band, intramurals and recreation, and ROTC groups.
"We were limited in terms of time," said Cleary. "There were days where guys just didn't get to practice. If they had class during the two hours that we had a facility to use, those guys just weren't able to practice."
It is not surprising that the team compiled a combined 30-79 record during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In UC's first full season in the new stadium in 2005, the Bearcats posted a 25-30 record, a 10-game improvement over the previous year.
"We've got a place that we can access whenever we need," Cleary observed. "It has made a tremendous difference in our ability as coaches to help the players develop their skills. We were practicing to play in spaces that weren't baseball fields and there is obviously an inherent disadvantage in that."
The $10 million stadium has permanent seating for 3,085 and includes a luxurious press box with separate radio booths and VIP suite. The Bearcats are treated to such amenities as indoor batting cages and pitcher's mounds, player's clubhouse and lounge, training room and complete laundry and equipment facilities. The scoreboard and video board adorn the 14-foot outfield wall in right-center field.
With UC launching play in the BIG EAST Conference this season, the Bearcats will travel to several venues for the first time. They will be hard pressed to find a facility that compares with the UC Baseball Stadium.
"I don't think there is a question that our stadium is the nicest in the league," Cleary said. "I think it will be a long time before we find another school out there with a nicer baseball stadium than ours."
The stadium has already had a significant impact on recruiting efforts, as the 2006 freshman class, the first to be recruited with the stadium completed, is one of the most talented ever signed by Cincinnati. The Bearcats start two freshmen and a first-year junior college transfer in the field and the weekend pitching rotation consists of two first-year transfers and a freshman.
"This freshman class is the first class that got to see the stadium before they signed and you can see if you come watch us play that we have a lot of freshmen playing," associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Brad Meador said. "They are as talented a group as we've ever brought in here. The stadium has made a huge difference. Higher level kids-better players-are interested."
"I don't know if you are a senior in high school, that you could possibly walk through our stadium and say, `I don't like that,'" Meador added.
For a school that is not necessarily known for its baseball prowess, Cleary sees all the changes around campus as the perfect opportunity to create something special with his baseball program.
"I think it's fair to say that our facilities are as good as there are anywhere," said the 10th-year head coach. "We've got a great city. The campus has gone from a major negative in recruiting to a major positive since I've been here. It is a great time for us to begin anew. I just don't see why we won't be able to be one of the elite teams in the BIG EAST."
The atmosphere surrounding UC baseball has changed since the opening of the stadium. Attendance has risen. The team has improved on the field. The next goal is a BIG EAST Championship.
http://ucbearcats.cstv.com/sports/m-base...06aaa.html
Among all the new facilities cropping up around the campus of the University of Cincinnati, perhaps none is more impressive than the two-year old UC Baseball Stadium. The stadium rivals minor league parks for its aesthetic value, while modern accoutrements like the new video board make it a truly exciting place to take in a game.
"There is not a single part of our program that has not been affected positively by the new stadium," head coach Brian Cleary said. "We've gone from as bad a situation as a Division I baseball team could have to as good a situation as a team could have."
That bad situation was just a few years ago. Like several other UC sports teams, the baseball team was forced to play many of its games off campus while its permanent home was completed. Following the destruction of Johnny Bench Field in the fall of 2002, the Bearcats played the entire 2003 season and all but three games of the 2004 season at Midland Field in Amelia, the home of the College of Mount St. Joseph baseball team and the Midland Redskins summer league team.
Sharing the facility meant sometimes playing at undesirable times. For practice, the team shared Nippert Stadium, the only outside on-campus area suitable for a baseball team, with the football team, the band, intramurals and recreation, and ROTC groups.
"We were limited in terms of time," said Cleary. "There were days where guys just didn't get to practice. If they had class during the two hours that we had a facility to use, those guys just weren't able to practice."
It is not surprising that the team compiled a combined 30-79 record during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In UC's first full season in the new stadium in 2005, the Bearcats posted a 25-30 record, a 10-game improvement over the previous year.
"We've got a place that we can access whenever we need," Cleary observed. "It has made a tremendous difference in our ability as coaches to help the players develop their skills. We were practicing to play in spaces that weren't baseball fields and there is obviously an inherent disadvantage in that."
The $10 million stadium has permanent seating for 3,085 and includes a luxurious press box with separate radio booths and VIP suite. The Bearcats are treated to such amenities as indoor batting cages and pitcher's mounds, player's clubhouse and lounge, training room and complete laundry and equipment facilities. The scoreboard and video board adorn the 14-foot outfield wall in right-center field.
With UC launching play in the BIG EAST Conference this season, the Bearcats will travel to several venues for the first time. They will be hard pressed to find a facility that compares with the UC Baseball Stadium.
"I don't think there is a question that our stadium is the nicest in the league," Cleary said. "I think it will be a long time before we find another school out there with a nicer baseball stadium than ours."
The stadium has already had a significant impact on recruiting efforts, as the 2006 freshman class, the first to be recruited with the stadium completed, is one of the most talented ever signed by Cincinnati. The Bearcats start two freshmen and a first-year junior college transfer in the field and the weekend pitching rotation consists of two first-year transfers and a freshman.
"This freshman class is the first class that got to see the stadium before they signed and you can see if you come watch us play that we have a lot of freshmen playing," associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Brad Meador said. "They are as talented a group as we've ever brought in here. The stadium has made a huge difference. Higher level kids-better players-are interested."
"I don't know if you are a senior in high school, that you could possibly walk through our stadium and say, `I don't like that,'" Meador added.
For a school that is not necessarily known for its baseball prowess, Cleary sees all the changes around campus as the perfect opportunity to create something special with his baseball program.
"I think it's fair to say that our facilities are as good as there are anywhere," said the 10th-year head coach. "We've got a great city. The campus has gone from a major negative in recruiting to a major positive since I've been here. It is a great time for us to begin anew. I just don't see why we won't be able to be one of the elite teams in the BIG EAST."
The atmosphere surrounding UC baseball has changed since the opening of the stadium. Attendance has risen. The team has improved on the field. The next goal is a BIG EAST Championship.