Kansas State has announced that it plans to upgrade baseball’s Tointon Family Stadium as part of a larger facilities project. According to a concept recently unveiled by the university, the $15 million project will include upgrades to the baseball facility and a new women’s soccer stadium.
At Tointon Family Stadium, the renovations will be highlighted by a new clubhouse and office complex. The plans call for the structure to be constructed along the third base grandstand and feature two stories. Within the building, there will be a numerous player amenities on the ground level, with coaches’ offices and meeting space located above.
These areas should be a major upgrade for the program, according to head coach Brad Hill. From Kstatesports.com:
“The locker room will be a tremendous addition. There’s going to be space for our players now,” Hill, entering his 15th season as head coach, said. “I think as a coach, you always want your players to make the baseball field, the baseball stadium, their second home. I think when you create what we’re going to create with the new locker room and the new lounge area, the players are going to want to be here more often than they already are.
“We already have a nice space but it’s a space that handles about 10 or 12 kids at a time. The new space will allow 20 or more kids to come in and spend time together. On weekends when they come to work out, instead of everybody heading back home afterward, you can have a group of them in there watching a football game together, creating that bond and that team chemistry that a coach knows is important to a program.”
The team facilities are a major component of the project, but they will not be the only upgrades. A new roof and facade are both expected, while K-State also plans to upgrade the ballpark’s concessions and suites.
According to an announcement from K-State, “the department will once again depend on individual donors throughout Wildcat Nation to build on the $7.5 million already pledged to reach $10 million and enable construction to potentially begin after the conclusion of the 2018-19 soccer and baseball seasons with desired completion in time for the 2019-20 seasons.”
Rendering courtesy Kansas State University.