UF Baseball: Florida Ballpark at McKethan Field Nears Completion as Construction Wraps Up
Courtesy of UF Athletic Association
A little over a year and a half after the project’s initial announcement, construction of Florida Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field reached its conclusion earlier this month. While subcontractors will continue applying branded graphics, signage, and other aesthetic touches to the ballpark in the coming weeks, Brasfield & Gorrie, the University Athletic Association’s construction partner for the project, is celebrating the completion of their work on the new home of Gators Baseball.
Florida Ballpark replaces McKethan Stadium as the home venue of Gators Baseball, with the new address being 2800 Citrus Road, adjacent to Dizney Stadium and Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on the southwest part of the University of Florida campus.
“The University of Florida has always been home to some of the nation’s best athletic facilities, and they continue to improve,” said Brasfield & Gorrie Vice President and Division Manager Erik Sharpe. “Brasfield & Gorrie is honored to have worked in partnership with our trade partners to build a state-of-the-art facility for one of the nation’s best baseball teams–the Florida Gators. We also recognize the ballpark is an important step toward fulfilling the University Athletic Association’s Facilities Master Plan, and we are honored to play a substantial role in bringing that plan to life.”
Florida Ballpark will feature a 360-degree open concourse and seating, allowing fans to walk around the venue and choose their game day experience without ever losing sight of the action. Several Major League Baseball parks and TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, home of the College World Series, have similar layouts.
The field’s orientation (home plate facing the northeast) and shade structures covering multiple sections of seats will provide protection from the sun, as well as a cooler, more comfortable environment for student-athletes and fans.
Florida Ballpark will have 4,000 permanent chairback seats. Multiple premium seating options, grass berms, and non-traditional seating options, along with the ability for 700-plus fans to enjoy club seating, will give Florida Ballpark a capacity of more than 7,000. There is also the potential for added seating and an expanded capacity of up to 10,000.
Those upgrades, along with prominent entry gates and enhanced concession options, will provide Gator Nation with a tremendously-improved fan experience, in addition to an area developed for children’s activities and young fans.
Inside the facility, Florida Baseball’s staff and student-athletes will enjoy modernized amenities.
Upgrades in the new facility include: a spacious team lounge, private nutrition area, expanded locker room, video and team meeting rooms, indoor pitching and batting cages, enhanced training and rehabilitation areas, and a reception area celebrating the program’s accomplishments.
“You get one chance to build these types of facilities … facilities that will change the landscape of a program for generations to come,” Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said. “It’s exciting to think of the impact the new ballpark will have on future Gators players, coaches and fans.”