Construction begins on new Concordia ballfield
Construction is beginning on the new ballfield site on the east end of campus.
Photo: Kai Olbrich
By Kai Olbrich
Sports Editor
This story is featured in the August print edition of the Sower newspaper.
Construction of a new multi-use baseball and softball stadium on the Concordia campus, on the southeast corner by the tennis courts, is underway after years of planning and proposals.
Coaches hope it will cut down on administrative headaches, enhance the connection between both programs and the campus community and offer new ways to market the Concordia experience to prospective students.
Coach Ryan Dupic. Photo: Concordia Athletics.
The stadium, part of Concordia’s Shine Forth campaign, will be home to both the baseball and softball programs. The Shine Forth website described it as featuring a 300-seat grandstand, a built-in press box and sunken dugouts. It is the Soar portion of the campaign, which aims to raise $5 million philanthropic donations. The Soar portion includes the ball field and Steinway piano initiative. The ballfield will also have adjustable bases and outfield fencing to accommodate the differing field dimensions of each sport. The completion date is still pending but it’s hoped it might be ready for the upcoming postseason or the 2028 season.
Baseball coach Ryan Dupic said that the project was mentioned in his hiring interview 13 years ago but picked up steam in 2019. Dupic and softball coach Brock Culler said the new field will reduce their administrative burden, with fewer scheduling conflicts and weather-related issues.
Both teams have played at Plum Creek Park in Seward for the past 30 years and, due to the high school baseball season coinciding with the college schedule, it has led to scheduling problems for the administration and coaching staff. Couple that with unpredictable Nebraska spring weather, and Dupic has much of his time wrapped up in just figuring out when and where his team will play.
“A very large portion of my job in the spring really does become about evaluating the weather and trying to stay ahead of the weather,” Dupic said. “I think one of the things we’ll probably feel in the future about this field is just so much more confidence to be able to work through a weather challenge or a weather delay when you have a really good surface like we’re going to have.”
Culler is excited for the opportunity to get the student body more involved and interested in the softball program and believes a closer facility will greatly help.
“You know, when you tell somebody, ‘hey, we’re playing at home today, come out and support our team. Oh, by the way, you have to drive two miles,’” Culler said. “Like, it takes out that inconvenience as opposed to saying, ‘hey, we’re playing at home today. Just step out of your dorm and come on over.’”
On the baseball side, it was even more inconvenient for students as many home games were played a half-hour drive away at fields in Lincoln. With the large number of midday games played by both sports, the new facility provides a good opportunity for students to stop by even for a few innings, whereas at Plum Creek Park it was much tougher logistically for students to navigate game times within busy class schedules.
On the recruiting side, Dupic said that out of five calls he had that day, three of them mentioned the new stadium. He believes that a new facility doesn’t sell a prospective student on the program but is a great way of getting them in the door to see all of the other things it has to offer.
The Nebraska Coaches Association held its final annual senior softball showcase in July in Lincoln, and Culler would like to keep the spirit of the event alive and host a similar event at Concordia every year.
“I’ve talked to a lot of high school coaches since then. We want to host that event right here on our campus, on our new field,” Culler said. “And we wanted it to be a true all-star game, like an East vs. West. And we’ll be right here on our campus, and that’s a huge event for softball.”
