MUNCIE, Ind.— The landscape of college athletics is changing, and so is Ball State University Athletics. Starting this spring, massive upgrades are on the way to Muncie.
The upgrades start at Schuemann Stadium. The turf field is scheduled to be replaced following this weekend's spring game. The turf will be installed in time for summer practices.
“It was important to evaluate the current venues when I got here,” Ball State University Athletic Director, Jeff Mitchell said. “As we looked ahead to the next wave, we knew it was going to be football.”
Football, baseball, and softball are also slated to get turf replacements. This coming offseason, the turf replacement will include other upgrades.
Worthen Arena also has a facelift scheduled after the Spring Commencement in May. The project follows the lower bowl seating upgrade that was completed last summer. This spring, a rebrand is coming to the basketball court.
“It’s going to look like a basketball court, but it’ll look different,” Mitchell said. “It won’t be a drastic change, but there will be a different color scheme.”
Mitchell says that the new paint job on the court will be like the color scheme on the Taraflex volleyball court. The color scheme on the court will be a familiar one across all Ball State venues once the project is completed.
One upgrade coming this summer will affect around 80% of Ball State student-athletes. The Eric Foss Champions Performance Center project has begun on the west side of Worthen Arena.
The performance center is set to open in around a year and will provide student-athletes with a new training center. The building will also house a grab and go nutrition bar for athletes to use following training.
“It is going to enhance their competitive success,” Mitchell said. “It is going to have a ripple effect on how they approach their experience at Ball State.”
Mitchell hopes that Ball State athletes will view the center as a laboratory and embrace what the building will offer them.
“Being comfortable wearing the cardinal uniform is important to me,” Mitchell Said. “I think that we have a terrific Ball State experience right now, but we have room for improvement.”
Mitchell said that he hopes that developing a first-class facility inspires the athletes to enjoy and embrace the difficult training days. He wants them to know that playing is fun, but putting in the work is critical.
Building that first-class facility comes with some help from Ball State alumnus Eric Foss. Foss gave a generation donation to the department to build the new facility.
“Eric has been interested in athletics for a long time, Mitchell said. “He is a proponent of developing the whole self, mind, body and spirit.”
Mitchell said that quality is aligned with the project. Mitchell said that Foss wanted to make sure that Ball State was thinking “big enough.”
Ball State Athletics will continue to improve, according to Mitchell. He said they will carefully evaluate what comes next for Ball State University.
For questions or comments, contact Josh Gabbard at Joshua.Gabbard@bsu.edu.
