By Jacob Tomaneng
Head baseball coach Joe Urso, assistant athletic director Tom Kolbe, and new athletic director E.J. Brophy said that they would like to build a new baseball stadium. Some University of Tampa students want a more electric crowd environment at on-campus athletic events. Urso plans to engage more students and expand the Spartan fan base with a donor-funded baseball stadium.
UTampa baseball won its record 10th NCAA Division II national championship on Saturday, June 7.
When asked about his current goals for the program, Urso said, “One of my biggest goals, once we started winning championships, was to become the greatest Division II program of all time, which [meant] that we needed to get 10 championships, and we achieved that last year.”
He added that he would like to become the first Division II NCAA team to win three consecutive championships.
In addition to winning championships, Urso and Kolbe also share a common interest with some students — to increase fan engagement.
Urso wants to further market UTampa baseball games to downtown businesspeople and students.
“We are not selling our program enough,” said Urso. “Right now, our fanbase is parents.”
Andrew Mahmood, a UTampa sophomore, said, “I’ve been to a couple baseball games and the atmosphere is good, but not exceptional. … I would like to see a lot more.”
Mahmood said his favorite live sporting events have involved an extra “experience” other than just watching the game.
Although the UTampa baseball field was returfed and upgraded in 2022, the grandstand and pressbox were built in 2006. Including space on both sides of the field for lawn chair seating, the stadium currently holds a maximum of 750 spectators. Urso and Kolbe hope to increase UTampa baseball crowds by replacing the outdated stands and scoreboard.
“We have a brand new field, so the field is perfect, but we’d like to build a new stadium that the community can be proud of. … Have some locker rooms out there, coaches’ offices, some family suites, some donor suites,” said Urso.
If the construction of a baseball stadium begins, it will be an expensive task. However, Kolbe said the cost will be covered by donors, not students’ tuition.
“There’s a lot of people in this city who have deep pockets, or who want their name on a stadium. We’ve had so much success that people want to be associated with the program, so it’s highly possible. Joe Urso gets stuff done,” said Kolbe.
The University of South Florida proved the expense of a collegiate baseball stadium in a multimillion-dollar upgrade of Red McEwen Field in 2011, which included a 1,500-seat grandstand and a shaded hospitality deck.
“There is no concrete plan,” said Kolbe. “The discussions now are … around the presentation of it; where is the seating [going to be]? Where do we [put] batting cages? What about a video board because the scoreboard is old?”
Brophy was named the newest athletic director at UTampa on Oct. 1.
“I’m brand new, but I have heard of a potential baseball project that would be very exciting,” said Brophy. “We have the best baseball program and the best coach in the country, so I will certainly support UTampa baseball in any way that I can.”
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Photo courtesy of Jacob Tomaneng