BATON ROUGE – Tiger Park, already considered one of the top softball facilities at the collegiate level, is getting even better as LSU is in the process of making several improvements to the home of the LSU Softball Team.
Among the upgrades taking place at Tiger Park include a new videoboard and the resurfacing of the field and integrating a new drainage system. The LSU Softball Performance Center has also broken ground in the last few weeks.
The new videoboard will continue to be behind the right field fence and will be a full high definition media board. The board will be 655 square feet and will have the capabilities to do a full live production with cameras and replay
“We value the experience that our fans have at Tiger Park,” said head coach Beth Torina. “These upgrades will help build an even better experience for our Tiger fans and student-athletes. We look forward to another great year at Tiger Park.”
“The atmosphere at Tiger Park is already as good as there is in college softball,” said Miriam Segar, Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator. “This new video board is only going to enhance that experience with video replays, real-time stats and other visual elements our fans are going to really enjoy.”
The field at Tiger Park also received an extensive set of upgrades over the summer. The playing surface was stripped and an upgraded drainage and irrigation system was installed throughout the entire field. The outfield will return to a Celebration Bermuda grass surface. These advanced systems and upgrades will greatly enhance the efficiency in which the field returns to a practice or game ready condition.
The LSU Softball Performance Center will be one of the top indoor facilities among college softball and the biggest indoor facility among the SEC with space of 14,500 square feet. An additional new 500 seat permanent grandstand will be located in right center field in front of the building.
There will be a space specifically dedicated to a 1,279 square foot softball weight room to go along with 770 square feet on the second floor specifically for cardio equipment.
The LSU Softball Performance Center will have a full sized infield with custom, motorized netting surrounding the entire surface. This will allow the team to participate in full infield, hitting, slapping or pitching drills regardless of weather conditions outside.
Each hitting lane will have wired electricity which will provide the staff and student-athletes the capability to set up multiple batting machines throughout the facility. The facility will also be wired for a custom multi-camera system that will provide the student-athletes and staff with a chance to immediately review film during practice.
The building will also be equipped with 517 square feet of storage space and a 240 square foot locker room area. Lighting will be energy efficient with impact-resistant LED fixtures. A custom turf, that will mirror real grass in terms of playability and performance, will be installed with LSU branding through the entire indoor.
The Tiger Athletic Foundation, through private donations, is supporting key portions of the project that directly influences the student athletes’ experience. Included are such accoutrements as state of the art audiovisual system, new weight training and cardio equipment, the custom multi-camera replay system and graphics that will be placed throughout the interior of the facility that will honor the history of LSU softball.
Naming rights for the LSU Softball Performance Center will be announced at a later date.