Batter up! USCB plans a baseball grandstand and more athletic facilities for Bluffton campus

Batter up! USCB plans a baseball grandstand and more athletic facilities for Bluffton campus

The smack of a bat connecting with the ball, concession hot dogs, organ music rallying players for a ninth-inning comeback. It’s quintessential America, and the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s baseball team nearly has it all. What’s missing? Scores of university students cheering on their team, which is a tricky feat when the field is in Hardeeville, miles away from the Bluffton campus.

The Hilton Head area university has plans to change that with new on-campus fields. The school doesn’t have funding or a timeline, but they outlined an $18.3 million plan to build a baseball field and other facilities on its Bluffton campus. With a $70 million convocation center in the works, the school’s plans to improve its athletic facilities are a step towards more boisterous campus life for students and add much needed athletic facilities in the Lowcountry for the school and other organizations.

Though there is no exact timeline, the University of South Carolina Beaufort plans to carry out its athletic master plan in four phases.

Plans for Athletic Facilities

“We don’t have anything hard and fast,” USCB Vice Chancellor Beth Patrick said of projected cost and timelines. However, Huntress Sports, an athletic design company, created a plan with estimated costs in August 2023. The plans include:

• One new baseball field
• One new softball field
• One new and/or renovated soccer field with a 400-meter track and field
• Two 750-seat bleachers

“Our next step will be to begin to look for a plan of how we’re going to fund this,” Patrick said. “It’ll probably be from a multitude of sources.” Beaufort County and the state are paying for the school’s planned $70 million convocation center.

Next Steps and Vision

Envisioned in this projection, part of the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s athletic master plan includes a new NCAA baseball field and a new NCAA softball field with parking and concessions. The school also plans to have a new or renovated soccer field with a track around it.

Conclusion

The plan to bring baseball grandstands and additional athletic facilities to the Bluffton campus of the University of South Carolina Beaufort signals a new era for sports on campus. While the timeline and funding details are yet to be finalized, the prospect of more on-campus fields for baseball, softball, and soccer is an exciting development for students and sports enthusiasts in the Lowcountry.