The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee‘s baseball program will join an independent American Association team at a new Franklin, WI ballpark, adding another team to the upcoming venue.
As was confirmed earlier this month, an American Association team will play at the new 4,000-seat Franklin ballpark that is expected to open in 2019. The facility will be included within Ballpark Commons, a mixed-used development led by Mike Zimmerman.
Along with the yet-to-be-named American Association club, the Frankilin ballpark will also host UWM Panthers baseball. While not all of the details of its agreement have been finalized, UWM baseball is expected to have access to both the ballpark and an adjacent indoor training facility. This arrangement not only affords UWM baseball the opportunity to be a part of Ballpark Commons, but should provide the program with a considerable upgrade over its current home, Henry Aaron Field. More from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
All of which is why [head coach Scott] Doffek was feeling like he’d won the lottery Tuesday. He and athletic director Amanda Braun were at a news conference unveiling plans for Ballpark Commons, the sprawling sports and entertainment complex being developed by ROC Ventures on a former landfill north of Rawson Ave. and west of 76th St…..
UWM will be able to practice next door in a 76,000-square-foot indoor facility with an infield and 24 batting cages.
Details of the contract have yet to be finalized, but Mike Zimmerman, the CEO of ROC Ventures, said it would be a multi-year lease arrangement.
“UWM is the only D-I program to not have (decent) facilities,” said Zimmerman, a lifelong baseball fan who joked that he had an “unhealthy” relationship with the game. “What Scott has been able to do in the absence of that is amazing.
Located in suburban Milwaukee, the Ballpark Commons development will also feature retail, dining options, a driving range, and apartments.
RELATED STORIES: New Franklin Ballpark to Host American Association Team; Site Prep Set for Next Week; Ballpark Commons Infrastructure Plans Approved; Requests for Ballpark Commons Project Approved; Ballpark Commons Plan Moves Forward; New Franklin Ballpark Still Under Study; Land Sale Moves Milwaukee Ballpark Development Project Forward; Franklin Approves New-Ballpark Development TIF; Franklin Ballpark Could Open in 2018; TIF District Proposed for Ballpark Commons; Franklin Ballpark Plan Moves Forward; Franklin moves forward with new ballpark planning; Initial approval sought for new Franklin (WI) ballpark