Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and Springfield College Partner to Build Intercollegiate and Adaptive Baseball Park

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Baseball great Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation will partner with Springfield College to jointly design and build a one-of-a-kind intercollegiate and adaptive baseball park on the Springfield College campus in Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield College President Mary-Beth A. Cooper, Ripken, and foundation board chair Mark Butler signed the partnership agreement during the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation board meeting at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel today.

“We at Springfield College feel privileged to work with Cal Ripken and the foundation to build a field that will serve our intercollegiate baseball team, as well as the greater Springfield community, including those with disabilities,” said Cooper.

“When we were looking for quality, national strategic partners for this important initiative, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation immediately rose to the top of our list. This partnership is an organic one for Springfield College because of the similar values and mission,” said Cooper. 

The project fits with both the mission of Springfield College to educate students in spirit, mind, and body to serve others, and the mission of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation to build character and teach critical life lessons to at-risk young people through sports-themed programs.

“As a foundation, we are always striving to create opportunities for youth to excel not just on the playing field, but in the game of life. We are proud to work together with Springfield College to develop a multifunctional field that will not only benefit its student-athletes, but provide a safe place for local community members of all abilities to play, learn and grow,” added Butler.

The first of its kind, this project will incorporate a new adaptive field within a new traditional field when the existing Springfield College team baseball diamond is replaced. Referred to as “The Springfield Model” by the foundation, the new facilities will include an artificial turf field, bullpens, and batting cages; installation of a new grandstand and press box; and a new scoreboard, sound system, and sports lighting system that will serve both the adaptive and the Springfield College team fields. Renovations will also include broadcasting capabilities and landscaping.

“In addition to providing a first class facility for our student-athletes, the multipurpose, synthetic-turf field and facility will be a lab for our students and faculty in rehabilitation studies. It will also be a venue at which our sport management students can earn valuable experience and leadership skills running community events and tournaments,” said Springfield College Director of Athletics Craig F. Poisson.

“It’s exciting to have a project that will benefit diverse populations while promoting America’s favorite pastime,” Poisson said.

Youth athletes from the Miracle League, Special Olympics, and local baseball programs are expected to benefit from the renovation of the college’s Berry-Allen Field, which was opened in 1939 and has only seen regular maintenance in the intervening years. The field is named for two long-time Springfield College baseball coaches. Elmer Berry was a prominent physical education teacher at Springfield College who served as head coach from 1915-1926, and Archie Allen was head coach for 31 seasons from 1948-1978 and coached the U.S. Pan American Games team to a silver medal in 1963.

The College has already received financial commitments to help support the project. However, it will seek additional assistance from friends of the College and alumni.  

In the past 130 years, Springfield College has evolved into a co-educational, comprehensive institution with a proud academic history and an outstanding national and international reputation, offering bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees in a wide range of academic programs. The College is regularly ranked in the top tier in its category in U.S. News & World Report and, in the 2017 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” is ranked 27—up 40 spots since 2011—in the first tier of “Best Regional Universities – North.” It is the sixth consecutive year the College has risen in the rankings. It is also rated as a Best Value School by U.S.News. Enrollment of the College is 4,800 students.