A groundbreaking for Missouri Southern's new baseball stadium will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, adjacent to the MSSU Softball Complex, east of Fred G. Hughes Stadium at the Robert W. Plaster Sports Complex.
The $2.5 million project was made possible through a fundraising campaign initiated by the MSSU Baseball Advisory Committee in collaboration with the Missouri Southern Foundation.
For many years, the Lions baseball team has called Joplin's historic Joe Becker Stadium home. While a wonderful place to play, it did pose challenges in terms of transportation for athletes and students, sharing the field with other programs and a lack of training facilities for injured players.
The new stadium will include amenities such as state-of-the-art synthetic turf, regulation lighting, batting cages and bullpens, fan seating for 600 (allowing Missouri Southern to host NCAA regional and national events), a press box, modern concessions area, ADA-compliant seating and restrooms and a viewing deck that can be used by student, community and alumni groups.
The architect for the project is Corner Greer & Associates, with Crossland Construction overseeing the building project. The goal is for the stadium to be open in time for the 2015 season.
Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony will include a welcome from JoAnn Graffam, executive director of the Missouri Southern Foundation, and remarks from Jared Bruggeman, director of athletics; Bryce Darnell, head baseball coach; Matt Nelson, baseball alumnus and committee member; and Dr. Alan Marble, university president.
"This is a long time coming for this program," Bruggeman said. "The draw to recruits will become that much more attractive with an on-campus facility. I would just like to thank everyone involved in the fundraising efforts. We look forward to seeing the first pitch thrown in the new stadium and to sharing it with the community."
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