Long Beach State University Athletics
Groundbreaking Ceremony Begins Phase Two of Blair Field Renovations
5/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Long Beach, Calif. - More improvements are now underway at Long Beach's iconic baseball facility. This past Sunday, Long Beach State held a special groundbreaking ceremony to kick off Phase II of the Blair Field renovation project. LBSU president Jane Close Conoley, longtime supporter Marilyn Bohl, Athletic Director Vic Cegles and Dirtbags head coach Troy Buckley all helped break ground on the next phase of construction, which began in earnest this week.
Phase II will bring the Troy & Danyll Tulowitzki Batting Facility and the Jered Weaver Bullpen. The batting facility will replace the existing batting cases along right field, and the bullpen will be stationed behind the right field fence. Cegles was the first to address the gathered crowd of donors, supporters and alumni, and he spoke to the importance of facility upgrades in several aspects of competition, especially in recruiting.
"Although (Blair Field) is iconic and we've got the park in the background and it's so nice to come here and watch a baseball game, (recruits) look at locker rooms, they look at batting tunnels, the weight room. They look at all the things that make them better," Cegles explained. "Our players who come here, they come here because they want to play in the Major Leagues. They don't all make it, we know that, but they come here because they want to be the best they can possibly be. Facilities make that difference. And this facility here is going to make a huge difference in how we develop players."
Construction on the bullpen and batting facility is expected to be completed in November, making an immediate difference for current, future, and former Dirtbags alike. More information on the project can be found at BlairFieldCampaign.com.
