New Baseball Stadium Approved For College In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — It was a momentous beginning of the month for a local college's fledgling baseball program, as town officials have approved the building of a new baseball stadium on campus.

The West Hartford Plan & Zoning Commission last week unanimously voted 5-0 to approve a special use permit to build a turf baseball field, dugouts and other site improvements at the University of St. Joseph, located at 1678 Asylum Ave.

The new baseball field will be located in an area of campus previously approved to be a practice soccer area.

West Hartford's approval comes with several standard conditions such as submittance to the town of maintenance plans, erosion/sediment controls and compliance with town codes and ordinances.

According to a project summer submitted by SMRD Architects and Engineers on behalf of USJ, the field will not have lights and seating would start at 200 to 250 fans.

USJ only started baseball in 2022 as a club sport, but turnout and interest was so great, according to the project report, that the school is pursuing an NCAA Division III-level varsity baseball program after the upcoming season.

"The desire from student athletes to participate in baseball and have it as a Divisin III NCAA team has exceeded expectations," reads the project report.

"USJ currently has over 30 athletes on their baseball roster and the head coach has recruited an additional 20 athletes to participate next season."

With no current baseball field on campus, USJ Bluejay club players have been regularly bused to off-campus baseball facilities in town for practices and games.

It would be located near an off-campus softball facility, which features an artificial playing surface.

Like the softball field, the yet-to-be-built baseball facility will also feature an artificial playing surface, which will reduce maintenance costs and "eliminate the need for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation," reads the project report.

The project will also feature home/away bullpens, a batting practice tunnel and an electronic scoreboard.

Both spectator seating and press box plans have yet to be approved and would be subject to subsequent applications.

For the minutes of the Feb. 6 West Hartford Plan & Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.

For the project report for the University of St. Joseph baseball program, click on this link.

For more information about USJ baseball, click on this link.