LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The University of Louisville's Jim Patterson Stadium will get a $1 million upgrade after the move was passed Friday morning by the school's athletic association board.
Most of the funding for the main entrance and third-base-line enhancements came from a gift from Jim Patterson himself.
The changes include the main entrance being pushed out several feet, with new arched entryways. The third-base concourse area will be widened, providing additional space for concessions while improving traffic flow. A new ticket booth and space for concessions will be constructed within 20-feet storage units. New fencing will be erected around the renovated structure.
A new look coming to Jim Patterson Stadium.📰 https://t.co/M80d2jluuu#GoCards pic.twitter.com/jQw6ItScuC
— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB) June 10, 2022
All of the improvements are expected to be completed before the start of the 2023 season. U of L coach Dan McDonnell and his team just won their ninth NCAA Regional in the facility and will face Texas A&M in the opener of their super regional tonight at 8:30 p.m. Friday in College Station, Texas.
"I was in the midst of getting yelled at by a Michigan fan decided to try to kind of change the mojo and walked out of the suite onto the terrace," Louisville Athletics Director Josh Heird said of Sunday's Regional final in Patterson Stadium. "And that played at second base happened. And then Cam Masterman hits the home run.
"And for some reason it just popped in my head as I'm celebrating and thinking about what a neat experience that was that this is the team that also has the highest GPA of all of our male sports programs -- and just to think about what that program has done and what it means to this university. I'd actually gone for a run after that game, but came back and went into Dan's office and simply just told him how much we appreciate what he's done here. But that's for all of our coaches, as I really started to think about it and just the incredible things that they've done."
The stadium improvements came on the same day the board approved the school's largest-ever athletics budget, coming in at $114.8 million, up $7.1 million from the current fiscal year.
While the department is facing increased expenses due to inflation, particularly in the area of team travel, it's also expecting more revenue in the area of Cardinal Stadium naming rights and an increase of $2 million in suite donations largely because of men's basketball.
The department continues to shoulder hefty buyout obligations in the deal to release John Schnatter from his stadium naming rights deal, as well as to Chris Mack in his separation deal with the school.
The fastest-growing line item on the department's expense budget is debt service on the football stadium, as long-term pledges for stadium construction begin to expire. Debt service in 2022-23 is $6.8 million, up from $1.6 million in the 2021-22 fiscal year.
Among other projects approved is a renovation of the Planet Fitness Keuber Center. The $750,000 upgrade to the home of men's and women's basketball and women's lacrosse will include improvements in locker rooms, lounge spaces, offices and the front lobby, with new signage throughout the facility and the design of a common space where athletes from all three sports can gather. The funds for the renovation were raised privately.
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