The Gophers broke ground Monday on a new baseball stadium at Siebert Field on campus, which will replace the old stadium where Minnesota has played home games since 1971.
Fans, donors and media watched as University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler, outgoing athletics director Joel Maturi and head baseball coach John Anderson led the groundbreaking ceremony.
“We’re going to develop a facility where we can have [championship] moments again,” Anderson said according to a news release. “We can bring baseball back here, and we can bring an NCAA tournament back here.”
The Gophers hosted NCAA regionals in 1974, 1977 and 2000, but since then the stadium has suffered from decrepit conditions and forced the team to play most of its games away from campus.
“This has been a dream for a new Siebert Field for 20 years, and on more than one occasion we came close,” Maturi said according to a press release.
Last Friday, the University’s Board of Regents Facilities Committee voted on and approved the first step in replacing Siebert Field.
Construction on the 1,400-seat facility is scheduled to begin June 18. By July, the University expects to have the current Siebert Field demolished. The new field will have synthetic turf and is expected to be completed by December.
The University’s plan for “Phase 1” includes provisions that will allow for future expansion, like additional seating, locker rooms and a training facility. The new field is expected to cost a little more than $7 million in its first stage.
“Everybody’s got new facilities in our league,” Anderson told the Minnesota Daily in February. “In our region of the country it’s also impacting recruiting.”
