SC National Guard Cyber Dreamport, intramural, soccer and softball fields, oh my!
Land clearing to make way for new soccer and softball fields has been in the planning stages for six months.
The current softball field will be replaced with the South Carolina National Guard Cyber Dreamport. Additionally, the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative project, which will begin this spring, will take over the existing intramural field.
“The long-range plan is to move the intramural field to the existing soccer field behind Pacer Commons and construct a new soccer field for athletics,” said Brian Enter, senior university facilities executive.
Jaclin Poole, USC Aiken’s head softball coach is ready for an updated softball field; “Our field is slightly dated so being able to be in the process of building a new facility is what's going to help make us better in the long run.”
Mallory Shaver, a freshman player for the softball team, is ready for the location change. The new softball field will be close to the other sports fields while it is currently separate from the others. “I think the move of our field is a good thing,” Shaver said. “I feel like we’ll be more connected as a whole athletics family with the other sports.”
Lauren Wexler, a junior softball player and transfer from USC Salkehatchie, is also ready for an improved field. Wexler said, “I know we’ve had a few issues with the lip in our field so being able to start from scratch will definitely help us.”
In order to construct these two new facilities, the land must first be cleared and graded. Grassing will also be added to prevent any possible erosion.
“The mass grading will commence at the beginning of July 2022 and will be conducted by the South Carolina National Guard Engineering Battalion,” said Enter. Because this will be a training opportunity for the South Carolina Guard Battalion, the mass grading effort will not incur any costs for USC Aiken.
According to Enter, the new soccer and softball facilities are still within the planning stages, so there is no set budget or timeline currently.
In the meantime, Poole looks forward to the way that the land clearing will ultimately place USC Aiken’s sports fields closer together. “Just being able to connect both sides will be a little more convenient,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a game-changer for us.”
