University School of Milwaukee’s brand-new Wildcat Park is a homerun
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — With spring in the air, sports fans’ thoughts quickly turn to baseball. Nowhere is that truer than at University School of Milwaukee (USM), where the brand-new Wildcat Park, featuring a flexible, all-turf baseball field, welcomes players and fans alike. In addition to the synthetic turf, the unique facility features a large outfield that can also serve as a multipurpose field for other sports, two new dugouts, new stadium-style seats, and a new raised press box. There is also an adjacent training facility, named for the late Joe Lubar, a 2008 graduate of the school, which includes batting cages, complete pitching stations, and soft-toss stations.
“We are beyond excited that this project is becoming a reality,” said David Casey, the Wildcats’ varsity baseball coach.
“The new venue is one of the nicest in the entire state and we are looking forward to utilizing it to grow the team both within the school and the surrounding area. All of our players are incredibly lucky to have a college-level facility like this one to call their home field, and we are incredibly grateful to the donors who supported the project.”
Construction for Wildcat Park started last June with extensive side grading, storm sewer installation, and upgrades to electrical and fiber optics systems. Members of the USM community gathered last October for a dedication ceremony and recognition of the many generous supporters of this project. The first game in the new facility is scheduled to be played on March 30.
“Wildcat Park will be one of the best baseball stadiums in the area, and will take USM baseball and USM Athletics to the next level,” said USM Director of Athletics Tim Williams. “We are excited for our baseball teams and for our other teams who will be able to use this facility to train and play. It’s a great time to be a Wildcat!”
The new baseball stadium is also now in closer proximity to USM’s Don Forti Stadium and James Laing Tennis Center, and the orientation of home plate in Wildcat Park was rotated from the previous field’s layout to make better use of available sunlight. The multipurpose outfield was designed to be large enough to accommodate full-size practice fields for football and soccer, and will also be used for intramural sports and USM’s physical education classes. The field is also available for rental opportunities by local youth baseball organizations. The location that housed the former baseball field will be converted to additional grass practice fields for the school.
“More than 90 percent of USM’s high school students participate in at least one sport each year, and our athletics are such an important part of our overall school experience,” said Steve Hancock, USM’s head of school. “Facilities like Wildcat Park add to that experience, and attract more interest and even more participation, which can only serve to enhance the quality of our sports programs and our school.”
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