(02-05-2018 03:23 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote: (02-05-2018 03:15 PM)Volkmar Wrote: (02-05-2018 03:06 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote: With UTSA using a city-owned football stadium, I would think easier to come up with the $$$ for hoops.
How is your baseball stadium ?
Our baseball stadium is worse than our basketball arena. Our facilities suck, dude. It's a credit to our coaches that our basketball and baseball teams are even competitive. We were invited to join an FBS conference exactly one year after we got our football program started. Facility-wise, we weren't ready for it yet in anything but football (and there only because we can rent the Alamodome). It was an opportunity that was too good to pass up though, so we went with it. But as a result, while we were already a little behind the Joneses, facility-wise, in FCS, we're WAY behind in FBS, and have been scrambling to play catch-up since.
What has been built since moving up? What is in the works?
Hope I won't miss anything, but here's what I know... We've built the Park West Athletic Complex since moving up, which currently includes a state-of-the-art track for track-and-field events, and a soccer field for women's soccer. We built a weight training facility for our athletes and upgraded our football practice fields. We've also developed our baseball field a little more during that time, as well as the softball field. It's just that with baseball and softball, it was things like upgrading the fences, scoreboard, batting cages, etc. Nothing really has been done about our ridiculously small bleacher seating, pathetic dugout, and some other things we need a lot of work on. We also made cosmetic changes in the aforementioned Convocation Center, such as a new scoreboard, video board, new court, paint job on the walls, etc.
The bulk of our athletic money has gone toward football (coaches, uniforms, etc.) and Park West. Outside of athletics, we've been putting a lot of funds toward our academics programs in trying to attain Tier One status.
I'm not entirely sure what's in the works. Our new AD said that facilities will be a priority, and it seems our school has gone back and forth about the Park West complex, as the original vision was for that to hold all our athletics facilities in one place, including a new basketball arena, new baseball stadium, and eventually, a football stadium. I don't know what the status of that is at the current time though. Some others will be able to provide more information than I can, although I do also believe there are plans to further develop our weight training facility.
Your question didn't get lost in the shuffle. I just wasn't able to address it until now, and wanted to save yours for last because I knew it would entail a longer response.