Houston Baseball to Build New Player Development Center and Clubhouse
9/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| QUICK FACTS | |
|---|---|
| Name | Houston Baseball Player Development Center and Clubhouse |
| Location | Adjacent to Cougar Field down the third base line near berm |
| Size | 20,645 square feet |
| Levels | 2 First Level Second Level |
| Social Media |     |
HOUSTON â€" Houston Baseball continues to raise the bar on its facility improvements as Head Coach Todd Whitting and Vice President for Athletics Hunter Yurachek have unveiled the initial rendering for the new Baseball Player Development Center and Clubhouse to be located at Cougar Field.
The Development Center is in the design stages with one exterior rendering showcasing the facility's 20,645 square-foot size and presence that will be featured along the third base line near the berm at Cougar Field.
"The new Player Development Center and Clubhouse has been a long-term goal for my staff since we arrived in 2010," Whitting said. "Once this project is completed, it will conclude the master plan for our facility that has included a turf field, video board, new lighting, padded outfield walls, construction of new bull pens, new sound system, an upgraded accomplishment billboard and many other upgrades."
The 20,645 square-foot facility will feature a new clubhouse, dedicated batting cages for baseball, players' lounge, fueling station, video area, hot and cold tubs, training room, as well as a suite and lounge for in-game viewing.
Houston Baseball's new Player Development Center and Clubhouse will provide the student-athletes a comfortable working environment that will feature all the necessary amenities to enhance the success of each individual on and off the field.
"As we continue to build champions for life and focus on our student-athletes' success, we recognize our commitment to providing state-of-the-art facilities for our sport programs," Yurachek said. "Our vision of being the best begins on this campus, and the facilities our student-athletes touch on a daily basis are a major component of our goals. We are extremely appreciative of our supporters and their commitment to taking Houston Athletics to a championship level."
DEVELOPMENT CENTER AMENTITIES
First Level
Locker Room
Locker Area
Showers/Wet Room
Training Room
Coaches Locker Room
Players' Lounge
Fueling Station
Hot/Cold Tubs
Steam Room
Laundry/Storage
Video Area
Lobby/Stair/Elevator
Mud Room
Batting Cages
Grass Patio
Second Level
Suite/Lounge
Observation Deck
Kitchen
Interior renderings, project costs and a completion date will be released at a later time.
The University of Houston has proven its commitment to the Athletics Department as a whole and the program has shown the ability to compete for championships at the highest level in college baseball.
"The commitment by President Renu Khator, VP for Athletics Hunter Yuracheck, our athletics staff and most importantly the donors for these projects has been second-to-none in college baseball," Whitting said. "I truly appreciate the commitment to all involved with making our vision for Houston Baseball a reality over the past five years. This facility will be top notch in college baseball and will include every amenity available for the development of our student-athletes."
HOUSTON ATHLETICS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
The Player Development Center is only the latest capital improvement for Houston Athletics in recent years. Along with the announcement of the largest Daktronics video display in college baseball arriving at Cougar Field soon, the department announced the plan to renovate Tom Tellez Track at Carl Lewis International Complex and the Houston Soccer Field following a $1.5 million donation. TDECU Stadium, the $125 million home of Houston Football, opened August 2014, while construction continues on the Houston Basketball Development Center, which is scheduled to open this fall.
Houston Football also saw the renovation of two practice fields, while Houston's Cougar Field underwent the installation of FieldTurf and new stadium lights, while Houston Softball's locker room completed a recent renovation. At Golf Club of Houston in nearby Humble, the home of Houston Men's and Women's Golf recently added the Mike and Pat Booker Short Game Facility.
2016 SCHEDULE QUICK HITS
Highlighted by 32 home games, 38 in the city of Houston, a neutral site matchup against the University of Texas, home contests against Texas A&M and Baylor and three first-time opponents, Houston Baseball and head coach Todd Whitting have unveiled an exciting 2016 schedule.
For the 10th consecutive season, Houston will open its slate at Cougar Field. In the five seasons under Whitting, Houston has accumulated a winning record of 14-1 in those season-opening series, which includes four weekend sweeps.
"We are excited about the challenges that are ahead during the 2016 season. Not only will we compete in the American Athletic Conference, which is one of the toughest leagues in the nation (#3 RPI in 2015), but we will once again play an aggressive schedule against non-conference opponents," Whitting, who will begin his sixth season at the helm said. "With 20 games against 2015 NCAA Regional teams, we must diligently prepare for success during this offseason. We are excited to build off back-to-back 40+ win seasons against some of the best competition in the country."
Houston will open the season hosting the Big East's Villanova Feb. 19-21. The Cougars and Wildcats will meet for the first time in the program's history.
OUR CITY
• 32 home games; 38 in the city of Houston
• First 12 games of the season will be played in the city of Houston
• 21 of the first 25 games will be played in the city of Houston
• 18 of the first 25 games will be played at Cougar Field
OPENING WEEKEND
• Houston will host Opening Weekend for the 10th consecutive season
• Cougars are 14-1 all-time during Opening Weekend under Todd Whitting
• Cougars have swept four of the five Opening Weekend series under Whitting
COLLEGE CLASSIC
• Houston to make 16th straight appearance in Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park
• Cougars to face Texas Tech, Arkansas and TCU
• Cougars own a 20-25 all-time record in tournament; has earned seven wins over Top 30 teams
FIRST-TIME OPPONENTS
• Houston has three first-time opponents on the schedule: Villanova, Grand Canyon, George Washington
RICE & TEXAS IN SUGAR LAND, TEXAS AT CONSTELLATION FIELD
• Houston will meet both Texas (April 12) and Rice (May 17) for non-conference, midweek games at Sugar Land's Constellation Field.
NCAA TOURNAMENT COMPETITION
• 20 games this season will be played against an NCAA-tournament team from 2015
• Arkansas, TCU, Texas Southern, Rice, Texas A&M, East Carolina, Texas, USF, Tulane
A LOOK AT 2015
Houston is coming off its second straight 40-win season in 2015 as it captured its first American Athletic Conference regular-season title, first league title since 2002 and eighth in program history after recording a 16-8 mark among the toughest conference in the nation.
The Cougars, led by head coach Todd Whitting, who was named the ABCA South Central Regional Coach of the Year, notched its second straight 40-win season, finishing with a 43-20 record and ranked No. 18 in the nation.
With its impressive regular-season play, Houston was awarded an NCAA Regional hosting bid and the No. 1 seed at Cougar Field - the first time hosting since 2000 and just the third time ever in program history.
Houston finished the year with a 26-8 mark at home, tallying the most home wins ever, while earning five weekend sweeps and eight shutouts on the season - a number that ranks among the nation's Top 10. Houston went on to capture its second straight Silver Glove series - the first time since trophy was established in 1998.
Cougar Field saw a program-record 1,832 fans on average in 2015.
The Cougars were highlighted by sophomore Andrew Lantrip's Third Team All-America honor by Perfect Game and freshman Seth Romero, who led the league with a 1.94 ERA and was tabbed a Freshman All-American and the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
Three Cougars were named to the All-Region Team (Survance, Lantrip, Iriart) and seven Cougars earned All-Conference honors with Kyle Survance leading the way as a First Team selection.
Eight Cougars were selected in the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Lemoine, Weigel, Survance, Iriart, Dowdy, Cobb, Fulmer, Rice) - the most since 11 in 2000.
Houston Baseball, once again, excelled in the classroom - posting a program-record 3.09 cumulative GPA and the fourth-highest spring GPA at 2.97 as 24 student-athletes posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
TICKETS
Houston Baseball season ticket renewals are available now by clicking the link located in the email you received from the Houston Athletics Ticket Office. 2016 deposits will be availabe at UHCougars.com soon. If you have any questions regarding tickets for the 2016 season, call (713) GO-COOGS.
STAY CONNECTED
Stay up to date with all Houston Baseball news and highlights by following us on Twitter @UHCougarBB or on Facebook at /HoustonCougarBaseball. Fans can also follow head coach Todd Whitting @toddwhitting on Twitter.
