Condron Family Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field is the college baseball stadium of the University of Florida, and serves as the home field for the Florida Gators baseball team. Condron Ballpark is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, adjacent to the university's softball stadium, Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, and its lacrosse stadium, Dizney Stadium. It replaced the former ballpark, Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field, which had been the home of Florida baseball from 1988 through 2020; McKethan Stadium's earlier incarnation, known simply as Perry Field, had been the home field of Gator baseball since 1949.[2] The stadium opened on February 19, 2021, when the Gators hosted Miami in their season opener.[3]
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  Condron Family Ballpark Location within Florida  Condron Family Ballpark Condron Family Ballpark (the United States) | |
| Full name | Condron Family Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field |
|---|---|
| Former names | Florida Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field (2021–2022) |
| Address | 2800 Citrus Road |
| Location | Gainesville, Florida, 32611 |
| Coordinates | 29°38′11″N 82°21′50″W / 29.636374°N 82.363786°W29° 38′ 10.94″ N 82° 21′ 49.63″ W |
| Owner | University of Florida |
| Operator | University Athletic Association |
| Type | Stadium |
| Genre(s) | Baseball |
| Seating type | 4,000 chairback 700 club 2,300 berm |
| Capacity | 7,000 (expandable to 10,000) |
| Record attendance | 8,851 (June 10, 2023)[1] |
| Field size | LF: 330' (100.6m) LC: 380' (115.8m) CF: 400' (121.9m) RC: 380' (115.8m) RF: 330' (100.6m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Daktronics |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 2019 |
| Built | August 2020 |
| Opened | February 19, 2021 |
| Construction cost | $65 million |
| Architect | Populous, Walker Architects |
| General contractor | Brasfield & Gorrie |
| Tenants | |
| Florida Gators baseball (NCAA) 2021–present | |
| Website | |
| Florida Ballpark | |
Namesakes
editThe playing surface is named for Alfred A. McKethan, a University of Florida alumnus and successful Florida banker, businessman, and politician who contributed major donations to the Florida athletic program. McKethan donated the equivalent of $800,000 for the reconstruction and improvement of UF's baseball facilities in the 1980s and 1990s, and the stadium built at Perry Field was named in his honor.[4]
The stadium itself is named for Gary Condron, another UF alumnus and founder of the Conlan Company, one of the nation’s top manufacturers of light-industrial complexes. Condron played baseball for the Gators in the 1970s as a walk-on and has donated at least $30 million for the construction of the Hawkins Academic Center, the renovation of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, and the construction of the stadium itself. Florida Ballpark was rechristened "Condron Family Ballpark" on April 22, 2022, immediately before Florida hosted a game against Tennessee.[5]
Facilities
editThe current stadium facility is a concrete and steel structure that seats approximately 7,000 fans, and includes a press box, concession stands, locker rooms for the home and visiting teams, and coaching staff offices. The stadium includes 4,000 chairbacks, 700 club seats, and berm seating for over 2,000 spectators. The design incorporates a 360-degree concourse, shade canopy, and open-air seated grandstand.[6][7]
The stadium is lighted for night games and features a natural grass and clay playing surface with a synthetic turf backstop.
| Regionals | 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Super Regionals | 2023 |
Won by Florida in bold
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Thompson, Edgar (June 10, 2023). "Gators bound for CWS after shutout of South Carolina". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Yahoo! News.
As a school-record crowd of 8,851 looked on at Condron Ballpark
- ^ "Alfred A. McKethan Stadium". Florida Gators. May 20, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ Dirlam, Zach (February 19, 2021). "Gators Open Florida Ballpark with Electric Win Over Miami". Florida Gators. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Florida Ballpark's playing surface named Alfred A. McKethan Field". Gatorsports. USA Today. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ Hall, Graham (April 23, 2022). "UF baseball's Florida Ballpark renamed Condron Ballpark in honor of Gary Condron". Gatorsports. USA Today. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Florida Ballpark". Florida Gators. August 6, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ Dirlam, Zach (August 6, 2020). "Florida Ballpark at McKethan Field Nears Completion". Florida Gators. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
External links
edit
- Florida Ballpark – Stadium description at official website of the Florida Gators.