ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – In August of 2016, UCF announced a game changing $1.5 million gift from John Euliano to transform the UCF Baseball Complex. On Saturday, the Knights officially broke ground on the expansion to the stadium that will bear his name, becoming John Euliano Park when it opens this coming season.
Speakers during Saturday's groundbreaking ceremony featured Vice President and Director of Athletics Daniel J. White, head baseball coach Greg Lovelady, senior catcher Logan Heiser and Euliano.
"It's a really exciting time at UCF with everything that's going on, but nothing more exciting than what this stadium is going to do for our baseball program," White said. "We feel like we can build a Top-25 athletic department across the board. We certainly have a baseball team with limitless potential. It takes the right people. It takes the right coach. You have to have the right facilities. I know this project has been talked about for years around here. I couldn't be more grateful to John and Julie Euliano for stepping up to make this happen at a time when the program critically needed it."
Each of the speakers, along with UCF President Dr. John C. Hitt and several other generous donors, turned dirt in the main concourse of the stadium to kick start construction on the new home plate tower.
Euliano, a long-time UCF Baseball fan and Vice Chair of the UCF Foundation Board of Directors, saw that the Knights needed an upgrade to their stadium.
"Baseball has always been a passion of mine," Euliano said. "I started talking with Mark Wright a number of years ago about our team. We were lagging a little bit behind other parks in the American Athletic Conference. It was something that really needed help. I wanted to make an impact with my donation, and this is just the beginning. We're going to continue to grow from here."
With the majority of the $3 million cost directed toward the home-plate tower, this important part of the project will feature a 240-seat premium club section that will include outdoor seating and indoor amenities, such as an air-conditioned lounge, food and beverage service, private restrooms and a dedicated entrance to the space. The tower will also feature a second-level press box and a large roof line that will provide shade to the concourse and many of the lower-level seats behind home plate.
"This is a huge step in the future of our program," Lovelady added. "We talk in our program about leaving a legacy. The coaching staff has been pumping this for the last few months about how it was coming. To stand up here and know that there's about to be shovels in dirt and bulldozers is a big deal for us. I'm very excited to see the finish product and have our team play in this stadium. It's going to help our program in recruiting and the gameday experience. It's going to be a big part of the program going forward."
Club seats are now available on five-year commitments for $900 per seat or one-year at $1,000. For more information or to purchase club seats call 407-823-1000.
The home plate tower, which is scheduled to be completed for the 2018 season, will be the first project to improve the baseball facilities. UCF plans to improve facilities in the years to come by adding more amenities.
"It's small step for us," Lovelady continued. "I know this is the biggest first step that we can take. I want to thank all the donors that are committed to this. I'm grateful that they're on our side. This is a huge step in enhancing our program."
Demolition begins early next week. Fans will need to enter through the gate down the right-field line for the Black and Gold Series next Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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