Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Louisville announced that it hopes to proceed with a panned indoor baseball practice facility, a first for the program.
Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra announced the decision, along with a few specifics on the project, at a virtual event Monday evening.
"That dream hasn't gone away,” Tyra said of the project, according to the Cardinal Authority. “COVID may have slowed our thoughts and our plans, but we are now working on efforts to shore that up. It's obviously going to take a lot of funding. We're going to need your support, the support of all our donors, and the support of all of our former players breaking into the big leagues. Help us out, because we're going to need it as we move forward."
Tyra announced that the Kroger grocery chain has offered $3 million for naming rights on the facility.
No mention was made of the total cost of the project.
"We're working on construction costs and all the things we need to do to present it to our boards to get that approval," Tyra said. "We're going to need funding before we get a nod of the head there."
Tyra also said that Louisville is hoping to renovate the existing Jim Patterson Stadium.
"We want to upgrade and renovate the entrance to the stadium," Tyra said. "Patterson Stadium is ready for a renovation. Get more space as you come into the stadium. We've talked to Jim Patterson about that and he's very supportive of that."
