Indiana University will name its new baseball facility Bart Kaufman Field in honor of a major gift to IU Athletics from Bart Kaufman, a former IU baseball student-athlete and chairman and CEO of Indianapolis-area Kaufman Financial Corp.
Kaufman was honored for his support at halftime of the IU men's basketball game vs. Northwestern game on Wednesday. The upgrades to the baseball complex are much needed and provide further evidence the athletics department is placing an emphasis on facilities. The dilapidated Sembower Field reflects poorly on a Hoosier baseball program that has shown steady improvement in both record and talent since Tracy Smith took the coaching reins.
" Indiana University is deeply grateful to alumnus Bart Kaufman for his generosity toward the development of a new baseball facility and his support of our mission to provide IU's student-athletes with the resources they need to compete at the highest level," IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. "The new Bart Kaufman Field promises to significantly strengthen our baseball program at it seeks to build upon strong recent performances, while also greatly enhancing the fan experience at the ballpark."
"Bart, like his father before him, has been a welcome contributor of sage counsel and financial resources to Indiana University Athletics for many years, and this major donation is the cherry on the sundae," said Fred Glass, IU vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. "We are thrilled to name the new baseball facility in his honor, which is particularly appropriate given his status as a two-time All Big Ten IU baseball player."
In August 2011, the IU Board of Trustees approved construction of a new baseball and softball complex to be located on the north edge of the IU Bloomington athletics campus near the State Road 45/46 Bypass. Private donations and athletic department funds will fund the project. The IU Foundation will invest and administer Kaufman's gift. Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf Architects of Indianapolis has designed the complex.
Highlights of the new stadium include new locker rooms and dugouts, indoor/outdoor hitting cages, a turf field, a press box, a scoreboard, a lighting and sound system, and hospitality suites. The complex will also feature ample parking, an entry plaza, a picnic area, concessions and restrooms for fans.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring with completion scheduled in time for the 2013 season. The new $19.8 million complex will replace Sembower Field and the IU Softball Field, which are on Fee Lane adjacent to Foster Residence Center.
"We're incredibly grateful to Mr. Kaufman for helping to fund such an extraordinary facility," said head baseball coach Tracy Smith. "The stadium represents the future of our program, but also the past and those who worked to make this a reality.
" Bloomington 's mild winters make IU the best place in the Big Ten to play baseball," Smith added. "With this facility and our climate, it will allow us to prepare for our season in a professional atmosphere, more representative of big-time college baseball in the Big Ten Conference. We can't wait for Hoosier fans to see us play at Kaufman Field."
IU baseball has produced three All-Americans and five Freshman All-Americans in the past four seasons alone. Smith led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Tournament Championship and subsequent NCAA Regionals appearance in 2009. Alex Dickerson won the conference's Triple Crown that season and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, while Eric Arnett earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. Twenty-two former IU student-athletes have gone on to careers in Major League Baseball.
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