GROVE CITY, Pa. – Grove City College will name its new baseball field in honor of alumnus William C. “Bill” Stewart, a stalwart of the team that brought baseball back to the college in 1959.
Stewart is a longtime supporter of the college’s vision, mission and values and is a lead donor on the project.
The $3 million ballfield is part of Impact 150: The Anniversary Campaign for Grove City College, an ongoing effort to raise $185 million to increase scholarship funding and make needed campus improvements, including athletic facility upgrades that will benefit students and student-athletes.
“This new field is a major milestone in Wolverine athletics,” Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty said. “It will result in even greater success for the college’s baseball program. Bill’s friendship and support is an enormous blessing for our student-athletes.”
Stewart was a sophomore when the college brought back baseball in 1959 after a decades-long hiatus. He was a three-year starter at first base and one of the program’s first three-year lettermen.
After graduating with an engineering degree, Stewart went to work for PPG and later became CEO of the Armstrong Group, a family-owned, Butler, Pa.-based corporation that provides cable telecommunications, security, real estate and other services. He is retired.
The current baseball field has persistent drainage issues, uneven terrain in the outfield and lacks standard modern features, including turf and lights. It is a relic that impacts the way the team practices and plays and how the school looks to potential recruits, according to coach Matt Royer. Current field conditions have also forced the team to play what should be home games on the road and made it difficult to attract nonconference competitors.
“There are so many advantages to a new field. It’s an advantage to play at home. It will definitely help recruiting … and will really help out in practice,” Royer said. “Now we have guys fielding ground balls on the soccer field. We’ll be able to use our whole field,” he said.
William C. Stewart Baseball Field will be located on college property along Pinchalong Road east of campus. The move will accommodate improvements that will allow the program to grow in the short and long term, including turf for the infield and outfield, which will minimize maintenance and injuries, and space to accommodate lights, parking and additional seating for spectators.
In addition to Grove City College baseball, the field will be open to community groups, area schools, churches and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association for post-season games in western Pennsylvania.
More information about the Impact 150 campaign can be found HERE.
Pictured at top: A rendering of the William C. Stewart Baseball Field.