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Work begins on Class of 1978 baseball stadium Construction work is underway on the baseball facilities at Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex. Several improvements are being made to the venue, most notably a completely reconfigured grandstand for spectators and enlarged dugout areas. The resulting baseball complex, which will be known as the Class of 1978 Stadium, will include 500 permanent seats—including 100 chair-back seats, a press box atop the bleachers, a new public address system, renovated and enlarged dugouts and on-field storage areas, and a new backstop with netting. Clough, Harbour & Associates is handling the baseball stadium project, which is valued at nearly $350,000. This project raises the total baseball facility improvements made in a three-year time span to more than $500,000. This includes major gifts made by Hilton “Dutch” Rahn ‘51 and the family, friends, and classmates of John McCombs ‘68 that were utilized in 2002 for a new scoreboard, warning track area, and outfield fence. “These improvements will benefit the College as we strive to make our athletic facilities at our Metzgar campus representative of the outstanding qualities and characteristics of our entire institution,” says Bruce McCutcheon, director of athletics. “The generosity of our alumni continues to be one of the most impressive and rewarding trademarks of Lafayette.” The improvements are expected to be completed prior to the 2004 season, allowing the Leopards to compete in their new home venue this spring. “When I came to Lafayette, I felt there were many areas of the baseball program that needed improvement and our facility had some major needs,” says Joe Kinney, who is entering his fifth season as head baseball coach. “Fortunately, Lafayette is blessed to have alumni who feel very strongly about successfully positioning the college for the future. Most importantly, I hope our fans can enjoy comfortable seating.” The 2004 baseball team’s first home contest is scheduled for March 3 vs. East Stroudsburg at 3 p.m. The Leopards open the season with four road contests, including a three-game series at Virginia Military Institute Feb. 28-29 and a game at Hofstra on March 2.