Houston Baseball to Name Field After Don Sanders
9/5/2018 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
Facility will be known as Don Sanders Field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park
HOUSTON -- Thanks to a generous gift, which will allow for substantial completion of the $6-million Baseball Player Development Center and Clubhouse, Houston Head Coach Todd Whitting announced Wednesday the field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park will be named Don Sanders Field.
"On behalf of the student-athletes, coaches and everyone affiliated with Houston Baseball, I thank Don Sanders for his generous gift and continued support,” Whitting said. “Don has been a longtime personal friend to me and a great supporter of our program over the years.
“This generous gift from Mr. Sanders will allow us to achieve substantial completion of the state of the art clubhouse at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park in early 2019. I am honored to announce that going forward, our facility will be named Don Sanders Field at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park.”
“This donation is a tribute to Coach Todd Whitting, Traci Cauley and their staff, for their energy, efforts, desire and determination in helping make the University of Houston Baseball program one of the best in the country,” Sanders said.
“Don Sanders has been a major proponent of our student-athletes and continues to be with his latest gift in support of the Houston Baseball program,” Houston Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman said. “We cannot thank him enough for his generosity and for providing a positive impact on our Baseball student-athletes who continue to compete for championships while supporting our mission to build champions for life.”
Sanders is a long-time friend and supporter of the Houston Baseball program. In 2015, he and Joe Gutierrez gave lead donations for Houston's state-of-the-art video board, which bears both their names. At the time of its installation, it was the largest in the nation, and according to Daktronics, the board still showcases the second-largest video display in all of college baseball.
In 2017, Houston and Sam Houston State started the Don Sanders Cup in his name.
Sanders and MLB legend Nolan Ryan co-own Ryan-Sanders Baseball, which owns the Round Rock Express, the Class AAA affiliate of Texas Rangers.
ABOUT DON SANDERS FIELD AT DARRYL & LORI SCHROEDER PARK
Known for its fan-friendly atmosphere and spacious accommodations, Don Sanders Field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park is one of the nation's top collegiate baseball stadiums.
Reconstructed on Feb. 22, 1995, and renovated with the installation of FieldTurf in 2013, the Cougars enjoy a beautiful scaled-down version of a Major League park, attracting fans from across the state that want to share in the experience of a great college baseball environment.
The stadium holds a seating capacity of 3,500 fans, but can accommodate up to 5,000 fans with grass berm areas located along the outfield lines. A canopy red roof covers the upper general admission seats, shading fans during the summer.
The press box, located on the upper deck behind home plate, is one of the best in the country. It features booths for radio and television, a 28-seat working press area for writers and ample room to operate the public address system and scoreboard.
The facility has served as the host site of four NCAA Regionals, including most recently in 2017, the 2000 NCAA Super Regional and the 2004 and 2010 Conference USA Tournaments.
Since 1995, Houston is 461-252 (.647) at Don Sanders Field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park and has had 806,152 fans walk through its gates.
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Fans can help support the Houston Baseball program by joining the Dugout Club. To find out more information about the Dugout Club, visit UHCougarPride.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.