Athletics Director Jim Inskeep looks at the completed model of Hartman Field on March 28. Inskeep said it was time to bring the baseball complex up to the standards of other facilities here.

Hartman Field and the secondary baseball field will feature new renovations including added parking spaces, new dugouts and bleachers. According to Athletics Director Jim Inskeep, the baseball team will move to practice on the field starting March 28 although workers will fully finish construction around May 1.

“It’s going to look pretty much like a new facility when things are complete,” Inskeep said. “We are going to add artificial turf to the facility, new batting cages (and) a new press box at Hartman Field. There are new walkways that previously were just grass. And there will also be added restrooms, which previously did not exist so it was a pretty long hike for people to get to those facilities.”

Kenny Bruntlett, baseball player and junior, said he looks forward to the new renovations, especially the new turf, on the baseball field.

“The turf helps the ball take better hops when fielding it and it rolls a lot further, making it easier to get extra base hits,” Bruntlett said. “I am more than excited to be playing at this new field, hopefully bringing us better chances of victory.”

Inskeep said the new renovation will be the first significant upgrade since its opening in 1988.

He said, “I think (the renovated complex) will be a sense of pride for the baseball program. I think it’s going to be a facility that the kids will look back on and say, ‘I played in a first-class facility.’” By Lorna Ding