Construction on Florida’s new ballpark is right on track

Baseball season may have been cut short, but the Gators have a lot to look forward to. Construction is right on track for a glorious new ballpark that the Florida baseball program will soon call home.

Just over a year ago construction began on a new stadium for the Florida Gator baseball team. The stadium is set to be finished in June of this year.

The new ballpark is located off of Hull Road near the softball stadium and lacrosse complex.

Chip Howard, executive associate athletics director for internal affairs at UF, is pleased with the progress being made on the stadium.

History

Florida’s been playing in the same stadium since 1988. Alfred A. McKethan Stadium has been an important part of the program’s success over the years.

Florida holds a 779-266 overall record since McKethan opened, equivalent to a .745 winning percentage.

Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has created an elite college baseball program over the past 12 years. He took over in 2008 and most notably, led the Gators to their first College World Series national championship win in 2017.

The 2020 season was supposed to be the Gators’ final run in Alfred A. McKethan Stadium. But, with the season being cut short, Florida only got to play 12 games at home. Those games were near perfect.

Then, Florida State came to town on March 10 and handed the Gators their first, and only, loss of 2020. A couple of days later, the coronavirus led to all spring sports being canceled for the rest of the year.

On March 10, the Gators had no idea they would be playing their last game in Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.

As heartwrenching as that is, Florida baseball has a bright future. The new $65-million ballpark will mark the beginning of a new period for the Gator baseball program.

What to Expect

The new stadium will have a 360-degree open concourse, plenty of shade for fans, high-definition video and sound, plenty of concession and food choices and more than 4,000 chairback seats.

It will also hold 10,000 people. This nearly doubles McKethan’s capacity of 5,500.

Once the new ballpark is complete, construction will begin on the Gator football team’s new training facility.