Construction on new baseball and softball turf fields at Rockford University should have them ready to go by late March.
ROCKFORD (WREX) — For too long, Rockford University's baseball and softball teams have played home games away from campus. The softball team has spent almost a decade playing at Sportscore 2, while the baseball team has played many years at Rivets Stadium, and even spent last year playing home games at Pohlman Field in Beloit.Â
"No player wants to drive 30 minutes to go play a home game," RU athletic director Jason Mulligan said.
That will change next month. If all goes according to plan, both the baseball and softball fields being built on campus will be ready to go for home openers in late March. The school received a grant of more than $3.5 million from the state, and broke ground on the new turf field facilities in late November.
With the exception of a few weeks, the mild winter has helped construction stay on track and bring excitement to Regents athletics.
"To have our own place and have it be turf is a huge boost for us in recruiting, in campus life, for faculty and staff and students to be able to watch us play," Mulligan said. "And then for the community, to be able to have youth tournaments, to have high school teams come. We will be the only dedicated baseball and softball turf fields in Rockford."
The softball field is expected to be ready for the home opener against Beloit College, March 20. The baseball field should be ready to go for the Regents' home opener against Edgewood College, March 23.
