University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Third-Annual Baseball Night in Asheville a Success
02.01.2016 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A great turnout at Baseball Night in Asheville marked the unofficial start to baseball season on Friday night at Highland Brewing Company, where UNC Asheville Baseball announced a FieldTurf matching grant and fundraising initiative.
The third annual event, presented by Vannoy Construction, was sold out with approximately 250 attendees, including many baseball alumni on hand to ring in the new season. The night, which was also sponsored by Highland Brewing and Twisted Laurel, saw baseball alumni from as far away as Florida and Kentucky in attendance.
The night's keynote speaker was North Carolina native and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mitch Harris, who became the first Navy graduate to reach the Majors in 94 years when he made his debut on April 25, 2015. The event also included live and silent auctions.
The evening raised important funds for Bulldog Baseball travel and equipment needs for this year's team, and attendees also contributed over $25,000 towards a turf grant initiative that was announced on Friday night.
The UNC Asheville Athletics Department and the Bulldog Baseball team is pleased to announce they are the recipients of a FieldTurf Grant project from Community Sports Development Alliance. UNC Asheville is the first university to receive a grant from the group.
“UNC Asheville is committed to providing our baseball student-athletes with a quality athletic facility that is safe and modern. An Artificial turf field will improve the playing surface and limit the number of practices and games that are impacted by inclement weather,” Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone stated. “The turf field and construction of a stadium on campus will enable the Bulldogs to host Big South Conference Championships, tournaments, camps and clinics year-round, not to mention providing other campus and community partners with an additional facility alternative.”
Community Sports Development Alliance is a national alliance of funding partners who believes in UNC Asheville's vision to serve the baseball community. UNC Asheville is kicking off its effort to raise $600,000, which will be matched by approximately $800,000 of work from Community Sports Development Alliance. Gifts to the Home Run Campaign will help meet the goal with anticipation of a fully-installed turf field ready for the 2017 baseball field. After Friday night's event, the Bulldogs are over the $200,000 mark toward the fundraising goal of $600,000.
“College baseball is all about development. With this field, in addition to the lights that were installed two years ago, we will now be able to practice or play year-round outdoors,” Bulldog head coach Scott Friedholm stated. “The time spent in the past on field care can now be spent in the weight room, video room or batting cages. FieldTurf will show perspective student-athletes the commitment that UNC Asheville has toward our baseball program and the desire to win at the highest level. It is game changing.”
