New Baseball Stadium is a Must

The Panthers are moving back to the Cell!  While I understand that the men's and women's basketball team need a new practice facility to free up space at the Klotsche Center for the other sports and students, a new baseball stadium should be a priority.  

The Milwaukee Panthers are the only Division 1 baseball program in Wisconsin, and they deserve to have a facility that represents that.  As a player for Slinger High School varsity baseball team I have seen many high school ballparks that are quality baseball facilities.  These consist of a well-groomed field, exceptional dugouts, a functional scoreboard, a concession stand, permanent restrooms, a press box, and plenty of room for fans.  While Milwaukee has a functional scoreboard, that's it.  I was not overly impressed with the playing field, and my teammates and I were a little surprised to find out that we were sharing the dugout with an individual who was down on their luck.  His belongings were in the dugout when we arrived, looking back we should have passed the hat and left him a few bucks.  The Milwaukee baseball team deserves better.  

Kapco Park is a beautiful facility and the Panthers are worthy of a baseball park that is suitable for a D1 program.  Even though the basketball programs are in need of a practice facility, a new baseball stadium needs to be a priority.    

A New Field is a Must for Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Panthers have won the Horizon League regular season title, their first since 2001.  Even though their baseball team is on top, their baseball field is the complete opposite.  Henry Aaron Field was opened in 1957 and it only seats 500 fans.  There is no excuse for why the Panthers play in a glorified high school field and it is time for them to improve their facilities.

Although playing their entire home schedule at Miller Park would be the first and best option, it is unrealistic to think the Milwaukee Brewers would change their mind on allowing the Panthers to call Miller Park home.  Instead the Panthers need to build a state-of-the-art baseball facility similar to Kapco Park, which is home to Concordia University.  It should be built near campus and have a capacity of 1,500-2,000 people to allow students and local fans the opportunity to come and support the Black and Gold.  It would also be smart for the Panthers to have a synthetic turf field to allow for consistent play all season with less rainouts.

The Panthers are the only Division I baseball program in the state of Wisconsin and it is time for them to have facilities to show it.  Building a new baseball field is a must and it will improve recruiting and the overall look of Panther baseball.

The UW-Milwaukee Panthers Need a New Baseball Stadium

The UW-Milwaukee's men baseball team is the only Division I baseball program in Wisconsin, and it currently plays at Henry Aaron Field, which is a poor excuse for a high school field.  Building a new baseball stadium needs to be the number one priority for the athletic department, and something that would really help the program with recruiting, and getting more fans to come and support the team.  UWM's best option would be playing at Miller Park, but that is probably not going to happen due to money and because in the past the Brewers have been against allowing them to play their entire schedule their.  The Panthers most realistic option would be to build a new stadium near campus that would seat around two-thousand people, and would look like a smaller minor league stadium.  If the Panthers are able to build this stadium in the upcoming years it would help with recruiting and getting more fans to come out and support the Panthers.