MSU To Renovate Stadium

Remember during the conference tournament when I mentioned that we might be hearing something from East Lansing in regards to the baseball program? Well, the announcement has indeed arrived. As I speculated then, Michigan State has received a donation to renovate their on-campus ballpark.

An anonymous donor has not only coughed up four million to fund the 2,500 seat grandstand and new pressbox, but the project is tentatively slated for completion by the start of next season. A fairly lofty objective.

Old College Field will still be lacking lights in '09, but MSU appears to be committed to raising the remaining revenue to complete the entire project (which includes the softball facility, soccer stadium, baseball park and the adjoining plaza.

Illinois Goes To Turf

Field Turf is now being installed at the University of Illinois. I'm not crazy about plastic, rubber or any other kind of artificial surface, but I understand why so many opt for it.

As an aside, isn't this the same stuff Oregon State plays baseball on? I remember watching the Super Regional from Corvallis last spring and all the grounders kicking up sprays of old tires. It was very odd to view on television.

Hat tip: Tom at The Baseball Zealot via Illinois' official site. (Note: Tom at TBZ also covered the Blue and Orange series.)

Fisher Stadium Renovation Photos

Both before and afternoon the awards presentation, I passed by Ray Fisher Stadium. Here are some of the renovation photos I took. (Remember, I am not a photographer.) The top picture is the primary entrance. It's the area right behind homeplate. (It's the shot you get when you visit the live webcam of the construction.) Photo #2 is the thirdbase line. The offices, batting cages and other buildings are taking shape. Photo #3 is the exterior of that side.

Photo #4 is the pressbox and primary seating area. It's the inside view of the first picture. For those unfamiliar with the setting, that's Yost Ice Arena in the background. The last photo is of one of the walkways alongside the primary entrance. (This portion of the park reminds me of, cover your eyes OSU and Michigan fans, the Buckeyes yard.)

I was told today that the planned "Green Monster" like wall scheduled to be built in rightfield will be changed to leftfield. In addition to having a higher wall in left (or right, again, if they change their minds), the wall will be brought in. I'm not sure I'm crazy about this idea, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

Indiana To Build New Baseball Complex

Add Indiana to the list of Big Ten baseball programs that are building new facilities. Indiana's Board of Trustees approved the building of a new Hoosier Baseball Complex. In addition to a new playing surface, pressbox and indoor practice facility, the new structure will also provide for new locker rooms and offices for IU baseball.

The Hoosiers focus on upgrading their baseball facilities falls in line with several other programs in the Big Ten. Penn State will begin play in a new stadium, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, next spring. Michigan is in the process of a two year renovation project at Ray Fisher Stadium. Michigan State and Purdue are raising funds for the updating/renovation of their baseball facilities. Of course, Ohio State has been the clubhouse leader in the stadium upgrades for over a decade with their commitment to Bill Davis Stadium.

This is not only good news for Coach Tracy Smith, IU baseball and the Big Ten, but college baseball in general. IU's financial support to baseball, especially in light of the others in the conference making similar moves, reveals the desire of some in the Big Ten to compete at the next level and shows the game's growing popularity.

So Much To Type, So Little Time

There is a great chance that I won't be checking in here again until Sunday, yet I have so much I want to address. There is simply no way I can get to everything I would like to. However, let's see how much I can review before other responsibilities call me away from my computer.

I guess I can begin with midweek games. I saw Michigan beat Western Michigan courtesy of Comcast Local, 10-5. The contest was pretty typical of midweek fare. The Wolverines jumped out to a big lead and held on to win. The television coverage, always a popular subject here, wasn't as good as the last CL game I watched, but it was acceptable.

Of course, the broadcast was hindered greatly by the fact the audio was running behind the video. The guy would be standing on first after a single when you heard the "ping" of his bat and the announcer make the call. Annoying. It was a problem on the channel after the game as well, so the production crew doesn't lose any points from me for the audio difficulities. I did learn something during the game, too.

Apparently, Ray Fisher Stadium is about to undergo a major renovation. I believe ex-coach Geoff Zahn mentioned a $9 million figure. I can't say I completely understood the specifics of the upgrades but it sounds like they are going to build an indoor hitting facility, rebuild the dugout and the pressbox. They also made mention of the seating changes. It sounded like they might be adding either box seats, a second deck or both.

This was the first thing I've heard about updating Michigan's baseball structure. There have been rumors about an entirely new ballpark, but I had not heard anything this concrete about pouring new concrete at the old yard. While I won't have time to Google this tonight, I have yet to see anything this definitive about Fisher Stadium from any other source. (More work I don't have time for right now.)

I have to admit that I am surprised that the university opted not to tear down the current diamond, thus creating space for either parking for football and hockey or building a practice facility for the basketball team. However, I am happy to hear that yet another baseball program is getting some revenue towards facilities.

On that note, Penn State announced the their new yard, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is nearly complete.

As for other midweek games, Lars Davis hit a walk-off homer powering Illinois over St. Xavier, 6-4. Iowa's game with Western Illinois got cancelled. (Rain? Nope. Snow?! Nope. Scheduling conflict? Yes. Does this happen in college football?) North Dakota State thumped Minnesota, 7-3. Apparently, John Anderson's side didn't exactly bring along the entire team. Northern Illinois beat Northwestern, 8-6. (That sound you hear is NU's and the conference's RPI falling.) Ohio State beat Eastern Michigan, 5-2.

This weekend's Big Ten action looks like this: Ohio State travels to Michigan State in a battle of the top two offensive teams in the conference. Purdue hosts Penn State. Iowa is at Indiana. Minnesota visits league leading Northwestern and co-conference leader Michigan is in Champaign to take on Illinois.

Michigan State's Ryan Basham got some ink from Green and White.com.

Ohio State got some love from CSTV. Here is a video look at the Buckeyes. (Assuming I did the video link correctly. My apologies, if I didn't.)

Speaking of CSTV, Kellen Kulbacki of James Madison is this week's leader in CSTV.com's Player of the Year balloting.

Iowa released information about pitcher Casey O'Rourke, his ongoing battle with cancer and his effect on his teammates. While it's clear the struggle continues, I was glad to hear that the Hawkeye pitcher is cancer free. The Hawkeyes season has been bumpy, to put it mildly. Here is Ryan Long, of the Daily Iowan, explaining all the difficulities Jack Dahm's squad has had to endure in 2006.

I think that's it for now. And probably tomorrow, as well. I might try to sneak back in here Saturday night, time permitting. Enjoy the weekend action.

Construction News

Another Big Ten baseball program has launched a campaign to upgrade it's facilities. Purdue has begun taking donations to renovate their home, Lambert Field.

Penn State's new park, which it will share with local minor league franchise, the Altoona Curve, is nearing completion. Michigan State is also raising money to upgrade Kobs Field, it's on campus baseball facility.