UofL’s NCAA Division I baseball team has ranked consistently among the nation’s top 25 programs since 2007 and has averaged more than 43 wins per season. In 2007, the team went to the College World Series for the first time, and the stadium has hosted two NCAA Regional tournaments and an NCAA Super Regional.
Stadium expansion will include
- Doubling the number of chair-back seats to 3,000, bringing overall seating capacity to more than 4,000
- Adding a 6,400 square-foot terrace directly accessible above the chair back seats and a two-tiered ground-level terrace extending from the first- and third-base dugouts.
- Doubling the size of the media and hospitality areas
- Adding a visiting team locker room behind the third base dugout
When the expansion is completed in February 2013, it will make the stadium the largest ballpark in the BIG EAST Conference; it will allow UofL to host NCAA Regional and Super Regional games without the additional expense of temporary bleacher rentals and will help in player recruitment.
“The completion of this expansion project at Jim Patterson Stadium will solidify our baseball program as one of the nation’s elite,” said head coach Dan McDonnell. “Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program and it will have an immediate impact in strengthening our pursuit of the best talent around the country.”
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Patterson and other contributors have provided more than half of the total money needed for the expansion. But fundraising continues.
Leave your mark on the stadium
The Cardinal Athletic Fund has created a way for UofL baseball fans – at the university and in the community – to contribute to the expansion project and have a lasting presence at the stadium
As part of the expansion, an 8-foot-tall Cardinal Bird sculpture will be built on the main concourse behind home plate. The sculpture will hold hundreds of donor-signed baseballs.
“The Louisville Baseball program is regarded as our community’s team, and the entire university community is needed to help complete this project,” said Associate Athletic Director for Development Mark Jurich. “Our faculty, staff, fans and neighbors have a unique chance to leave their mark on Jim Patterson Stadium and lay the foundation for the future of Louisville baseball.”
Faculty, and staff support is encouraged by the Cardinal Athletic Fund. Members of the Athletics staff, faculty, and grounds employees have already made commitments to the campaign by payroll deduction.
“As Louisville Baseball games are free admission, we want the Jim Patterson Stadium expansion fundraising campaign to also be accessible. For as little as $12.50 per month, this campaign is designed to gain support of every person connected to our university,” Jurich added.
Get more information at baseballexpansion.com