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Colleges
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 31, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG -- It would have been easy for Florida State baseball coach Mike Martin to focus solely on the mounds of dirt and the cranes that for months have encircled a gutted Dick Howser Stadium.
Instead, he has kept in sight what methodically has been rising from the debris.
Last summer, FSU began a $12-million renovation that includes adding more than 1,000 seats and building practice facilities, a locker room, a clubhouse, administrating offices, a room dedicated to FSU's baseball history and a press box. The work should be complete by the start of the 2004 season.
"I honestly feel, within a year, we will have the Taj Mahal of college baseball," Martin said.
But not enough has been finished for the Seminoles to play there, so they will open at a temporary home, Florida Power Park, beginning tonight at 7 against Virginia Military Institute. The series concludes with 1:30 p.m. games Saturday and Sunday.
The Seminoles then play a three-game series at Stanford Feb. 7-9 before meeting Evansville on Feb.14 at Dick Howser, which still won't be the most aesthetically pleasing site but will be able to safely and comfortably accommodate fans.
"I can't hide my excitement with this renovation," Martin said. "We go out every day, we see something new. I can't hide it. It's obviously a big inconvenience, but with what we're getting, we can handle this inconvenience."
Having to bus for a home game is an annoyance to be sure, but it is tempered by playing at Florida Power Park. It was the site for the 1997 and 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference tournaments and the Seminoles were unstoppable, rolling to a 10-0 record.
"It's a place where we've had success and the support there is outstanding," said senior left-hander Matt Lynch, tonight's probable starter. "The alternative to go to St. Pete is not too bad."