By: Charlie Terenzio
USF Athletic Communications
TAMPA – In the past, USF fans looking for the softball stadium had a tough time finding it as they drove around campus, now fans will not miss the giant stadium on the corner of Bull Run and Elm Drive.
Years in the making, the new USF Softball Stadium is a one-of-a-kind complex because it is attached to the baseball stadium in one of the most impressive college complexes in the country.
The Bulls opened their sparkling new home on Thursday against Central Connecticut State, and kicked off a new era of Bulls' softball with an 8-0 win in front of a crowd of 785 fans.
“Now everyone knows where we play,” USF head coach Ken Eriksen said. “Prior to getting into this new ballpark, we played down at the recreation complex. When the lights were on, you didn't know if it was a slow-pitch game going on, or if it was a fast-pitch game. Now, with the new ballpark, when the lights are on everyone knows that we are playing.”
Eriksen, who played baseball at USF in 1980s and has served at the helm of the USF softball program since 1997, is seeing the program reach new heights.
“You have to be able to get with the arms race. All of the other programs that we are trying to compete with for a National Championship have great places to play, and finally we have one,” Eriksen said.
The Bulls, under Eriksen, have eclipsed the 50-win mark in six different seasons, and made eight separate appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Even while plans for a new stadium evolved, the Bulls had success in their previous home.
“I don't think that you can attain these sorts of things without some kind of success,” Eriksen said. “The girls who came to the program that helped put us in national prominence gave us that attraction so that we could do these sorts of things through donations and fundraising. Without their successes, we wouldn't continue going at the rate that we are going. It takes money and it takes attention. All the work that those girls have done in the past is finally coming to fruition.”
The stadium is now a dream no more.
As you enter the stadium, you walk through the entrance where fans will gather before games just outside the black iron fence, which surrounds all of USF's new athletic facilities and gives the area a 'Bulls Country' feel.
“For me to graduate from the University of South Florida and to now see what it has become, for me in the last 32 years, is phenomenal,” Eriksen said.
As fans enter the gates, they see the massive baseball complex on the left with enough seating and amenities to host NCAA Super Regionals for years to come. Straight ahead is a staircase which winds its way up to the Donaldson Deck. The deck overlooks both the softball and baseball fields, and serves as a hospitality pavilion for special events and offers breath-taking views of the entire complex.
“It is a great venue for baseball and softball. The addition of the Donaldson Deck for softball makes it feel like we have skyboxes up there. That is really neat, because I don't feel like there is any place in the country that has that, period,” Eriksen said.
Once you head back downstairs, you make your way through the main level, where fans can stop off at the merchandise area to pick up the latest green and gold apparel before heading to concessions for a hot dog and soda.
From there, you overlook the softball field, surrounded by the 700-plus chairback seats, each with a spectacular view of the field, including seats behind home plate that make it feel like you are the one catching freshman fire-baller Sara Nevins.
“In the first two rows, I think you are actually closer to home plate than the pitching mound is. It is a great opportunity to be personable with the players on the field. The intimacy of the players on the field to the fans makes it a very special place,” Eriksen said.
While in the seats, you smell burgers cooking at one of the grills in the right-field pavilion, while cheers erupt from the leftfield deck.
Throughout the stadium, kids play catch on the grassy berms as parents escape the warm sun underneath the built in canopies over the grandstands.
Behind home plate sits a sparkling new press box with room for television crews and multiple radio booths, where you hear announcers calling the game and cheers of fans echoing throughout the stadium.
Before, this was all just a dream and a distant plan, but this weekend, the dream became a reality for Eriksen and Bulls everywhere.
“The dream come true for me was getting this job,” Eriksen said. “That was a great situation, and now this is the icing on the cake. All the girls that have played in the past deserve it, and all the girls that play here now deserve it. So, for me, I am just fortunate to be along for the ride.”
