The New Stage for Georgia Baseball: Renovated Foley Field
Hello again everybody, it’s a bee-yoo-ti-ful day for baseball. – Harry Caray
More from Georgia Baseball
- Georgia baseball eliminated from NCAA Tournament in heartbreaking loss
- Georgia baseball sees a swift exit from SEC Tournament
- Georgia baseball finds itself with a perfect record
- Georgia baseball: Jonathan Cannon is a top MLB Draft prospect
- Georgia baseball becomes latest team to beat up on Alabama
After fixing and primping for seven months, Foley Field finally poses for the Bulldog Nation Friday afternoon when the gates open for 2015 opening day.
The Georgia Bulldogs open the season against Eastern Illinois. First pitch is at 5:05 and the on-field ceremony to celebrating Foley Field Revival project begins at 4:45 p.m.
The improved ballpark provides a sign to recruits and their parents that the Bulldogs are serious about baseball.
Someone wearing red and black is serious about baseball. Second year Georgia baseball head coach Scott Stricklin feared it would take a year for the baseball program to raise its 5 million dollar share of the 12 million dollar project. It took six months.
“When we came here, we lost a few kids to some programs that have big, shiny stadiums, and that was a factor. It wasn’t the only factor but it was a factor,” Stricklin told Anthony Dasher for Baseballamerica.com. “When recruits and their family see that a university is going to support their son when they come here in every way, shape and form, it makes them feel very comfortable and that’s one of the things that this stadium does.”
Georgia Bulldogs
The stadium updates and renovations include a plaza entrance to Foley Field with a new ticket booth, an expanded concourse with the centrally located concessions. The right field terrace, Kudzu Hill, where fans can watch the action is improved and named the Garden Club Terrace.
Premium seating and club areas have been added at field level and on the press box level.
On the field, FieldTurf has been added to foul territory for a year-round clean finish. The outfield wall has been padded.
For the players, a new, lobby area to store equipment including gloves, bats and shoes outside the locker room has been added. The players’ locker room is updated to include new, spacious lockers complete with a lounge. The training room has been renovated.
The coaches now have a new, expanded locker room. Also, meeting rooms are now adjacent to the locker room for instruction and scouting review.
Bullpens are upgraded and batting cage areas have improved heating air conditioning and lighting.
Foley Field has served as home of the Bulldogs since 1966. Baseball is the oldest varsity sport on the UGA campus and dates back to 1886. Georgia baseball begins its 128th season with an all-time record of 2,143-1,648-24.