For more than twenty years, the College's baseball team has moved from field to field throughout the area to hold its practices.
Now, thanks to a $15,000 gift to the city of Schenectady, the team will have a home for practices as well as games.
At an informal ceremony in early March, President Roger Hull gave a check for that amount to Schenectady Mayor Al Jurczynski. The money will be used to install an automated sprinkling system at Buck Ewing Field in the city's Central Park.
The field is touted by local officials and coaches as one of the best in upstate New York. But for years it has been taken care of by city employees lugging a firehose. City officials said the sprinkler system will keep the field “green, lush, and
weed-free” throughout the baseball season.
Although Union has played its home games at Central Park since 1978, it has had to hold practices wherever it could find room, including a local Babe Ruth field and a high school. Gary Reynolds, head baseball coach, said the agreement will help the recruiting process. “The team is going to be happy to have the same home game and practice field after many years of shifting from location to location.”
Union's twenty-six game schedule this spring includes seven Central Park doubleheaders.