GAMBIER, Ohio -- Kenyon student-athletes returning for the 2018-19 year will find two new practice fields, new synthetic turf at the baseball field and improvements to Kenyon Athletic Center (KAC) facilities.

Last season the Lords baseball team secured the program's first appearance in the NCAC Tournament since 2012. This fall the team will be able to log more practice time because McCloskey Field will be better suited to handle Ohio's changing weather. By September the field will have:

• a synthetic turf infield of about 36,000 square feet
• a removable mound to accommodate softball practices
• an improved backstop, replacing a chain link fence with a masonry wall three feet high, with padding and netting
• a home plate farther out to create room for bleachers behind home plate in the future and to reduce McCloskey's outfield distances to be more comparable with conference competitors
• new foul poles, relocated to match the move of home plate

Ohio's weather has played havoc with the baseball team's schedule: In the 2018 season there were three days of snowfall in the third week of April, and every non-conference game in Ohio on the Lords' schedule was cancelled. Playing on a synthetic turf field will reduce game cancellations and will save countless hours in maintenance.
 
"The student-athletes want to play, and we must do everything in our power to give them those opportunities. They deserve it, and this project will ensure it," said Matt Burdette, Kenyon's head baseball coach.

Kenyon's baseball families contributed most of the funding for McCloskey's upgrade. Richard Hoskins P'21 said, "It's all about our boys. Somewhere along the way, our sons started playing baseball and fell in love with the game. Kenyon offered them a chance to continue on this path, while obtaining an education that will lead them on to their next stage in life. We want that entire experience to be special."

More than 200,000 square feet of practice space has also been created this summer for the successful men's and women's soccer teams and other Kenyon sports teams. The new fields use the same sod as many pro sports fields. Their surface matches that of Mavec Field, which was resurfaced last year. Mavec also has a new parking lot, to reduce parking on nearby grass.

Internet speeds have been upgraded in the press boxes at McCloskey, Mavec and McBride fields to allow for faster delivery of live statistics and the ability to live stream games in high definition video.
 
Inside the KAC, improvements include:

• Tomsich Arena's basketball court is being lightly sanded and resurfaced to match new lines from NCAA rule changes and to provide better playability.
• New LED lighting at Jasper Tennis Center will increase the brightness three-fold and reduce operating costs.
• The former café by the KAC entrance is being remade into a versatile space for meetings, studying, small classes, alumni gatherings, receptions and post-game meals; the space will include soft seating and a kitchenette.