Head Softball Coach Anita Kubicka looks forward to the start of every season, but this year she's even more pumped to get her team on the field in the new softball stadium.

Constructed on the existing field adjacent to the running track, the new stadium can accommodate 263 fans in bleacher and stadium-molded VIP seats. The facility also includes a press box, locker rooms and a concession area. The $2 million project was built by Drill Construction.

Having locker rooms on site, Kubicka said, will make a difference for the team. "From a coaching standpoint, the ability to bring the players from the field right into the locker rooms to view game video is great," she said. "I'm looking forward to having the ability to videotape the game from the press box, getting great footage and then meeting with the team and reviewing the tape right there at the field."

Night games can now be part of the schedule thanks to new lighting, and a Daktronics scoreboard replaces the one that was more than 20 years old.

The stadium is made of concrete with a stucco finish coat that keeps with Spanish mission-style architecture on campus. The field is completed and the stadium is expected to be done by the end of the year. The old grass field was replaced with artificial turf, which Becky Middleton of Architectural and Engineering Services says is a huge improvement in both appearance and maintenance.

"It's incredible," she said. "It drains great and looks just like grass. The best part is that it is practically maintenance free because it doesn't have to be watered. The old field looked terrible and never drained."

The outfield is made of sand and rubber particles that come from recycled sneaker soles, and the clay infield has an irrigation system that is activated with the push of a button. "Anita no longer has to stand out there watering the infield with a hose," Middleton said.

Kubicka, who is beginning her 14th season with the Red Hawks, is ready to play ball. "Field Turf is really great," said the winningest coach in MSU softball history. "It's the same material used in Giants Stadium. The National Football League endorses it because it plays like natural grass, and the sand-rubber mix is actually the best for softball."

The old grass field, Kubicka said, caused a myriad of problems. "Because the field is located at one of the lowest points on campus, water always drained down into it and it had nowhere to go," she explained. "It was like a pond after a heavy rain. We actually had to cancel games because the field was so bad. No matter what we did, the grass wouldn't grow. It was very frustrating, so we started to think about alternatives to natural grass."

Kubicka visited many facilities with artificial turf to examine its playability. "I would hit balls to see how they bounced. I even went to a factory in Georgia to see how the turf is manufactured," she said. Because the cost of the field turf was not much more than natural grass and since it requires practically no maintenance, the University was sold.

"I love the look of it," she said. "It looks like real grass, but is more forgiving on the players' knees." Kubicka is recommending the players wear a certain type of cleat that works well with the turf.

The softball team had an opportunity to play on the new surface during the Oct. 5 alumni game, and outfielder Tiffany Aciz, a junior physical education major, gave it two thumbs up. "It's faster than grass," she said. "You get a true, straight bounce and it's easier to play on."

The softball team will play its first home game March 23.

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