On April 13th, UMB baseball beat Southern Maine 2-1 at “home” behind a flawlessly pitched 7 innings from freshman Lucas Ilges. Ilges then boarded a bus with his teammates to make the 30 minute ride back to the Clark Center, after a “home” game no less. Ilges said “It’s bad because we can’t get that many fans at our games and it does not really feel like a home game. More like a neutral site game. ”   The Beacons have never had a ballpark on campus in their more than 25 years of existence. Unlike the tennis and track teams, however, they don’t have a facility nearby. The trek to Yetten field in Waltham is pretty arduous, especially for a practice. The attendence at baseball games is stunningly low, even by UMB standards, mainly because students without cars could not attend the games regardless of whether or not they wanted too. A full day of classes then a half hour drive is probably the last thing even a die hard baseball fan is thinking about.   We need a baseball park, and were finally getting one. The idea of the park originally surfaced in UMB’s expansion plan in 2006 and ground was supposed to be broke in 2009. Despite delays in the process the new facility is now in the final planning stages and is slated to open for the 2013 season. On Wednesday, April 6th there was a meeting at BC High featuring some of the major players involved in the project including UMB Athletic Director Charlie Titus, Baseball Coach Brendan Eygabroat, and BC High AD Jon Bartlett. Also in attendance were reps from the well known sports facility construction firm Sintec. Among Sintec’s notable work includes Gillette Stadium and many other professional and college parks across America. The park itself will be stunning. The plan calls for two facilities, one which will be a flexible field that can be lined for other sports such as soccer and lacrosse. The other facility is the main park, which will be shared by BC High and UMB. According to UMB’s athletic director Charlie Titus this park will come with “full amenities” including lights, artificial turf, dugouts, bullpens, and a snack stand. This park will be the first UMB sports facility to include field turf, and it will be the largest venue on campus, with a seating capacity close to 800.   The park’s location is going to be on a plot of land shared between BC High and UMB. It will be right along side a proposed road running through campus. The major park will be around 500 feet away from the Clark Center softball field. UMB and BC High historically have shared facilities including UMB’s pool (for BC High’s swim team) and BC High’s tennis courts (for UMB’s tennis teams). Although this park will be closer to BC High, it will be a fully shared facility. UMB, as well as BC High and the Walter Denney Youth Center will all have access to the park. Each of the three sides will handle certain components of planning the facility.   Titus said, “We will manage it jointly and then there is the issue of scheduling to assure that all of BC High’s and our teams have the type of access for practice and games that they need.”    BC High will be handling the fundraising, and UMB will handle some legal aspects and contracting in the building of the park. The work is being divvied up because, according to Titus, “There are a lot of things moving simultaneously because the goal is to play in the stadium in 2013.”   This field will give UMB some opportunity’s it has never had before, including playing outdoor night games and hosting tournaments. For a baseball team that has literally been borrowing a field for their entire existence, having a place of their own is a dream come true. Freshman pitcher Tyler Kane is excited about the potential attendance boost the park can bring.   “I feel that a new ballpark will definitely attract more people to our games and the more support the better.”   Baseball is one of the least attended sports even among UMB’s deplorable standards. You really can’t blame the student body though.  Waltham is not exactly a five minute walk or drive. One huge advantage to having a facility on campus will be in the recruiting game. Big recruits usually have the facility as one of their top criteria for deciding on where to play, and not having a field on campus has proven to be a huge disadvantage to coach Brendan Eygabroat in trying to make the team a success.   He said, “From a recruiting standpoint I think the stadium will be a big factor.  Facilities are very important to top recruits and I don’t know too many players who wouldn’t want to play on a brand new stadium for their college years. We already have a great university to sell along with the city of Boston, and the stadium will be a final piece to an already strong recruiting package.”   This park should help improve the teams play on the field, which has been very strong over the last few years, including a trip to the D3 College World Series in 2010. When asked how he has managed to achieve such a level of success without a home, Eygaborat said, “The players are a very resilient group who don’t get distracted by the lack of field. We play a ton of away games, but that also is good for team bonding with all of those road trips. The players also take advantage of the batting cages we have to make up for a lack a facility.”   Eygaborat’s optimism about the project is infectious, as well as Titus, the players, and BC High contingent. This park is the biggest thing to happen to UMB athletics in years, and hopefully it should spike interest in not only the baseball team but all of UMB’s squads.   Coach Eygabroat concluded by saying, “I hope this means the student body will come up and give us a true “home field” advantage. I would love to see a packed house at our games and really have tremendous support. The stadium should be a big draw for the crowd along with a great caliber of college baseball.” Let’s hope so.