New baseball stadium to debut in 2000

The 2,000-seat stadium will be constructed over Murphy Field and should be ready by spring 2000. The University has received a large donation to build a new, "first-class" baseball stadium on the southern tip of campus that will seat 2,000 fans with room for more on a lawn, Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said yesterday. Officials hope to open the natural-grass facility, which will eventually have lighting at night, in time for the 2000 spring varsity baseball season. The stadium will be constructed on Murphy Field, where many Penn intramural teams -- including the men's and women's rugby, soccer and Ultimate Frisbee squads -- currently practice and play their home games. The field is located next to the Schuylkill Expressway, near the intersection of University Avenue and Civic Center Boulevard. While Bilsky declined to name the donor, the person's relation to the University or the actual amount of the gift, he acknowledged that the donation -- given last spring -- was sizable enough to create a "first-class baseball facility." The construction of the new stadium is "part of a long-term plan for facilities and recreation," Bilsky said, citing the increased "demand and need for outdoor space -- both intercollegiate and recreation[al]." The baseball team currently plays on Bower Field, located behind Franklin Field and next to the Levy Tennis Pavilion. Bower Field, which Bilsky described as a "convenient spot for student-body use," will also undergo renovations, although specific plans have not yet been devised, he said. A possibility exists that Bower, once renovated, will become the practice site and home field for the many intramural teams on campus who require a grass or artificial-turf playing field. The donation greatly facilitated the ongoing plans for the renovations of outdoor facilities, according to Bilsky. Bilsky said he considers Murphy a "good" and "convenient" location. He noted that the stadium is near the baseball players' lockers in the Hollenbach Center and provides a larger parking lot that could better accommodate parents and fans. Although the timetable for the new stadium is still tentative, officials' preliminary expectations are that the stadium should be open and ready for the Quakers' use by the spring of 2000, Bilsky said. Currently, administrators are working with architects on the "important details" of the stadium, including the height of the outfield walls and the distances of the foul poles. With the imminent construction of the new stadium, administrators now must deal with a space crunch for Penn's many club-sports teams. In fact, when the Sports Club Council -- comprised of one representative from each intramural team -- met with Penn Recreation Director Mike Diorka for their monthly meeting, a brainstorming session for possible new fields was on the agenda. Although Diorka did not grant an official practice space to the intramural teams, he suggested several viable options -- including the soon-to-be-renovated Bower Field, Hill Field, Drexel University fields and possibly facilities in Center City. Diorka conceded that the University will "have to sacrifice some space" during stadium construction. But he said he believes intramural athletes will happily accept the changes once they are aware "that there's something really good down the road for them." Indeed, after the meeting, some club athletes had positive feedback on the proposed renovations. Matt Liebhold, an Engineering senior and the Ultimate Frisbee team's representative to the Sports Club Council, was hopeful that teams would get space to practice. "I really do think [athletic officials] are working as hard as they can to get us fields for the spring," Liebhold said. "They'll find us something." But one of Liebhold's teammates was less optimistic. College junior Jason Miller, a co-captain of the frisbee squad, said that it is "frustrating knowing that spring is the main season for Ultimate and we might not have a field." Penn baseball coach Bob Seddonz could not be reached for comment.