The William & Mary athletics department is excited to announce the coming construction of the Joe Plumeri Indoor Baseball Practice Facility, scheduled to be ready for use by the fall of 2015.
The indoor facility will overlook the field, running up the third base line, and will provide the program with over 5,700 square feet of crucial “all-weather” practice space. With wall-to-wall artificial turf there will be space for three 15 feet by 75 feet areas for batting and pitching, complete with netting and pitching mounds. Additionally, there will be areas for specialized training equipment for strength, speed, agility and skills development. Currently, the program has no comparable facility or training space to facilitate practice during inclement weather.
“The addition of the Plumeri Indoor Baseball Practice Facility will allow our program to continue to grow,” stated Tribe Head Baseball Coach Brian Murphy, who began his second year at the helm of the program. “Mr. Plumeri has once again provided a transformative facility to help move our program forward. The practice center will greatly enhance our player development opportunities and will allow us to practice more efficiently in all weather conditions. We'll be better able to utilize our practice time and create additional development opportunities for all our players. This commitment to Tribe Baseball will also help us continue to attract quality student-athletes, as it is one more reason why it is great to be a part of Tribe Baseball.”
Joseph J. Plumeri II '66, D.P.S. '11 has a long history of philanthropy with William & Mary and has been especially supportive of the baseball program, which he was a part of during his time on campus as an undergraduate. In 1996, he provided the crucial funding that made the construction of Plumeri Park, the current home of Tribe baseball, a reality.
“I am passionate about people finding ways to leave things better than they found them,” stated Plumeri, vice chairman, First Data Board of Directors and senior advisor, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. “My experience as a student-athlete at William & Mary uniquely prepared me for the many challenges I face in business. I feel very strongly about providing the kind of support for the current group of players that will allow them to reach higher goals.”
Construction is in its early stages and will run through the summer, with a projected completion date of early August.
