UMES with a new state-of-the-art ballpark
PRINCESS ANNE, MD. – For the first time in years, the “Home of the Hawks” actually feels like home. This stadium will bring greater changes to the baseball community here. Also, everlasting memories for these new and future players.
Following a massive $5.5 million renovation project, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore officially unveiled the new-look Hawk Stadium. The facility, which has been under construction to address long-standing field disparities, marks a turning point for a program that has spent far too much time playing “home” games at off-campus sites in Salisbury.
Assistant Coach, JD Mundy, said this is a big deal for them and the staff. “This is my second year with the program, and I’m the hitting and infield coach. I mean, absolutely. I mean, just having this is. I mean, it’s a beautiful park. Like Esteban said, we have all the resources we have here. And, yeah, it absolutely helps out with recruiting.”
The most noticeable change is the surface, The traditional grass and dirt have been replaced with high-performance synthetic turf, a move designed to eliminate the drainage issues that have historically plagued older fields.
UMES Esteban Torres Left-Handed Pitchers talks about how this new facility will improve the energy and the future of the team.
“Yes. I see this is a new field that you have, guys. How long? How long ago was this guy built? So it’s been about one month with a field, and it’s been a really good addition to the program. I mean, it has everything that we need here, and I think it’s really good for the conference and one of the best.”
This isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about availability, said Torres.
“I mean, we didn’t have a field, so we couldn’t prepare ourselves like we have in the spring now. So it really means a lot for us. And like we use it in our advantage. And it’s helped a lot.”
