Nashville, Tenn. – A plan to enhance Vanderbilt University’s baseball facilities focuses on the full development of student athletes and would provide space for instruction, team building, coaching and settings that can foster interactions with returning professional players and fellow graduates.
“The planned project builds on Coach Tim Corbin’s vision for our baseball program – to not just prepare our players for success in baseball, but to ensure they have the skills, network and lifelong ‘home’ where they return frequently to help us build the next set of leaders and players,” said David Williams, Vanderbilt athletics director and vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs.
“During the last several months, we have quietly worked with some of our most dedicated supporters to secure lead gifts for the project, and we are working hard to raise the remainder.”
The Commodores baseball program has experienced unprecedented success on field – playing as the defending national champions at the 2015 College World Series – and many believe Coach Corbin’s approach of emphasizing character and life skills, with winning as a bonus, has been key to the team’s continued rise.
“An investment in our facilities project extends the family culture of our university, specifically our baseball program. The new facility will be a continuation of creating the environment of a ‘home’ where mental and physical development takes precedence for our current players while serving the development of our alumni in the off season,” Corbin said.
“We believe a project of this type – one focused on the student athletes – is responsive to what collegiate athletics is supposed to be about and addresses many of the criticisms you see of these programs nationally,” Williams said.
