Richard Whitmore, the new associate athletics director for operations and facilities, is eager for spring. He is ready for the Dartmouth baseball season to start.
"It'll be exciting to see in the spring," Whitmore said. "We all want to be part of something as special as this."
He is, of course, talking of Darmouth's new baseball field -- Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park -- to be completed Spring term 2009. The field will feature an increased seating capacity and artificial turf surface, among other upgrades, and is designed to help head coach Bob Whalen build on the already strong program.
The field will seat a maximum of 1,876, including portable seating, much increased from the older Red Rolfe Field, which inhabited the same space.
"It's designed so that it'll seat more people than will come on a normal day," Joseph Broemel, senior project manager, said.
The outfield dimensions of Red Rolfe Field will be 324 feet from home plate in left field, 400 feet in center and 340 in right. It will have a 10-foot tall black-wire fence in the outfield and a protective netting that extends higher to prevent balls from rolling onto South College Street. The fence will also allow passers-by to watch the game.
To the left of the field down the third base foul line, there will be batting and pitching cages.
Inside the field itself, Rolfe features two in-ground dugouts with attached storage rooms, a soil clay infield and, most significantly, an artificial FieldTurf surface to replace the natural grass infield and outfield.
The park is being built on the lot behind Berry Sports Center. The two basketball and tennis courts that lay there previously will be reduced to one of each to make space for the batting and pitching cages.
The artificial surface, which dries faster than regular grass, is seen as a major upgrade from the previous field's pitch. A playing surface with good drainage allows the team to practice more often and not have the squad wait all spring for the snow to melt as in previous years. Traditionally, the baseball team practiced inside Leverone Field House during the winter months when the field was deemed unusable.
"It will allow for an extra month or two of use," Whitmore said. "It should be a big asset. The snow will go away quicker, and the team can play more."
Red Rolfe Field will not be an improvement just for the team; it will be an attractive addition to the Dartmouth athletic complex. A brick backstop and exterior, a line of trees outside the outfield walls and plants lined up around the gate are among what is planned for Biondi Park.
Furthermore, the blueprint to Biondi Park was not inspired by any other college venue, but rather it was designed to match the surrounding facilities. Its brick exterior will fit in with neighboring Floren Varsity House and Berry Sports Center and make the field a natural addition to the scene.
The construction of Red Rolfe Field did not come without periods of frustration. During the summer, after weeks of heavy rain and a steam pipe system beneath the pitch, the Clark Companies construction team, which also built Memorial and Burnley Fields for the school, experienced conditions that slowed construction.
"Basically because of the local soils, rain made the ground soupy and muddy," Broemel said. "Plus we found out about a steam vault underground where the bleachers would be which made it difficult to build. But really we have never been off schedule -- just we didn't get as much done during the summer as was hoped."
Aside from the stagnant period during the summer, Red Rolfe has been a successful project thus far. Funding has come mostly from a $5.2 million donation from Mike Biondi '79 and Cindy Ginn Biondi '80 this summer. Mike Biondi played first base and captained the infield for Dartmouth in the late 1970s and went on to become a managing director at Lazard Freres, a leading investment bank. He died of cardiac arrest in November 2007.The idea for the field came up for the first time last September and has taken off since.
"The best way to put it, we had a site that fit the footprint of a new stadium, and it was the result of a lot things coming together," Whitmore said. "We had the space and we had a willing donor."
The decision to build the park had nothing to do with the success of the team in recent years, according to athletic department officials.
"There was a general feeling that the field needed to be upgraded," Broemel said.
"We're doing it for the team and the program," Whitmore added. "We're hoping to provide a playing surface and field that will allow them to compete at the highest level possible."
In addition to being an asset for the current team, the new Red Rolfe Field will help build the program for future years as the team looks to improve on last year's breakout season.
"It'll help in the recruiting process," co-captain and catcher Jack Monahan '09 said. "This'll definitely help our program grow in a positive manner."
The lack of practice time outside on a baseball diamond is something that Whalen has dealt with for his entire tenure. Now the team has facilities that could assist in creating a tradition of continued success in baseball.
As for the current team, the new field will cut the practice commute dramatically. The practice field used now is several miles away from campus at Colby Sawyer College. And, of course, there is the excitement that comes with playing in a new venue.
"We're given the opportunity to play at an awesome new field," Monahan said. "That will always give you a little bit of adrenaline which will lead to better play."
In the coming weeks, there will be noticeable differences at the site of Red Rolfe Field. The crew will begin installing the artificial turf Thursday, Oct. 20, with the bleachers and backstop soon to follow.
"We want to do as much as possible before it gets too cold to do anything," Broemel said. "Our goal is to have the bulk of the project in place by Christmas."
A shot of green in the dreary lot that has long inhabited the area behind Berry Sports Center will make the athletic facilities much more lively, especially with the New England winter fast approaching.
As for the team itself, it holds great expectations for this season. Last season, the Big Green compiled a 20-win season and lost in the Ivy League championship to Columbia in Hanover, the last games played at the old Red Rolfe Field. This year, they are expected to build upon that success.
"The expectations are extremely high for this team," Monahan said. "The entire team is ready to do what it takes to get back at that point and win."
With a new field and artificial turf, the future looks bright, and dry, for Big Green baseball.
The Big Green kicks off play this spring with a two-game series against Duke Unversity beginning on Saturday, Feb. 28.