How odd! The Squad gets the Nod for new Sod

Installation began Monday, May 14 for the new artificial playing surface at Bowers Stadium. The Bowers Stadium playing surface renovation has been awarded to Hellas Construction for installation of RealGrass turf.

Once [the old turf is removed], the workers will patch up any blemishes on the asphalt foundation beneath the field before installing the new artificial surface. [SHSU Athletic Director Bobby] Williams said the entire process should be completed by August 1, just in time for football season.

“They showed up today and went straight to work,” Williams said. “Once they peel off the old turf, they have to peel off the pad underneath. Then they will see if there is any base work that has to be done because there is an asphalt base on the bottom. If there isn't any patching to be done then that could speed up the process.”
Once everything is completed at Bowers, Williams said they will begin to look into facility upgrades at Johnson Coliseum.

Photo credit: SHSU athletics (May 21, 2007)

Baseball Stadium Naming Ceremony

Sam Houston Athletics will have the formal naming ceremony for Don Sanders Stadium this Saturday, April 28. Following a special pregame dedication ceremony, Don Sanders, the Houston entrepreneur and philanthropist who has donated $1 million to establish an endowment fund to enhance the baseball program at Sam Houston State, will throw out the first pitch at 2 p.m.

Baseball Stadium named to honor Don Sanders

SHSU reports that the one-year old baseball stadium will be renamed in honor of Don Sanders, a Houston entrepreneur and philanthropist who recently donated $1 million to establish an endowment fund to enhance the baseball program at Sanders' alma mater.

Ron Randleman Strength and Fitness Center

Big news over the weekend (October 28) was that the recently completed strength and fitness center was named in honor of former SHSU Head Football coach Ron Randleman. Located between Bowers Stadium and the Baseball Complex, the 11,000 square foot facility will be utilized by student-athletes from all sixteen varsity sports programs. Randleman was head coach from 1982 to 2004, totaling 132 victories and leading the Bearkats to five conference championships and four national playoff appearances.

Mafrige Field House

Sam Houston State University’s athletic offices at Bowers Stadium will be designated as the Ron Mafrige Field House in a special ceremony to be held Friday, September 22, at 4 p.m.

Last fall, Mafrige gave $250,000 to make possible construction of the new 11,000 square foot football strength and conditioning facility adjacent to the Mafrige Field House. Along with other gifts to the athletic program, Mafrige has donated to the College of Business, the Theatre and Dance departments, Sam Houston Museum, as well as other scholarships.

State of the University Address

News from University President James Gaertner at the annual State of University address focused on future construction projects and a possible university name change:

"There is a chance in this next legislative session that there will be an effort to reconfigure the university systems in the state," Gaertner said. "If a reorganization takes place, the issue of the names of the schools in those systems would be in question, and there is a possibility that we would be called upon to change our name to, probably, Texas State University-Sam Houston."

Among the construction projects the university will be facing in the near future is a new Mall Area that will require the removal of the Wilson and Frels buildings, scheduled to begin sometime around December; a 143,000 square feet Academic Building V that will house the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as some business offices, in the parking lot behind the Smith-Hutson Building and is expected to begin in March; surface parking; and a Performing Arts Center that will be in the parking lot south of the Criminal Justice Center.

The "Weight" is Over....

Staff began moving into the new strength and conditioning building today, located between Bowers Stadium and the Baseball Complex.

Johnson Coliseum scoreboard project

The next time you're in Johnson Coliseum, look upward for the new scoreboard, apparently both started and completed this week.

Play Ball!

Let’s take in a game, shall we?

Leaving central campus and heading east to the athletic area brings up face to face with the Baseball and Softball complex. The new fields were completed late last year and have had many an eye on their construction. Today, eyes belong to both Bearkats and Lumberjacks with SFA in town for a game or two.

To get to the fields from the north parking lot you have to walk up some stairs. A lot of stairs. Finally at the top of the hill is the softball field, where a strange looking mannequin stands near the practice batter box. A strange hybrid of Whitesnake and Seven Mary Three jams across the air, as someone has decided spectators want this sort of high-energy music to bide their time.

The baseball field sits next door and was more abuzz of activity, if only that it appeared that game had already started. I don’t know – the security guy following me probably wondered what I was doing and I didn’t try to sneak in where I didn’t need to be.

However the fence leading into Bowers Stadium was open so I got a few shots of the inside of the stadium. The Rainbow Walker sculpture was glistening in the sun, providing an interesting shot looking back west toward the central campus.

The new strength & conditioning facility is still in its early skeletal stages but looks to possibly be completed in time for football this fall – or at least by year’s end.

Let’s head south briefly on I-45. Saying good-bye to campus for now – and driving past the eerily odd prison cemetery – it’s time for one last stop in Huntsville.