April 4, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics and the University community will formally dedicate Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field this Friday with an invitation-only ceremony at 3:00 p.m. Penn State president Dr. Graham Spanier, director of athletics Tim Curley, Board of Trustees chairman Steve Garban, head coach Robin Petrini and lead benefactors Lee and Bill Beard will be on hand to anoint the state-of-the-art $10.2 million softball-specific facility. Members of Kimball Architecture and Poole Anderson Construction will also be on hand at the unveiling.
The year-long process since initial groundbreaking to the ballpark's first official game will be celebrated in grand fashion on Friday, Apr. 8 prior to Penn State's two-game Big Ten series against Indiana. The Beards pledged $500,000 on Oct. 9, 2009 to the project and formal plans were approved by Penn State's Board of Trustees on Mar. 19, 2010, paving the way for the much anticipated softball complex to take shape. Penn State inaugurated the facility on Mar. 26 with an 8-5 victory over Big Ten foe Wisconsin.
Member of the media are invited to be apart of the festivities by contacting Jeremy S. Fallis of Penn State Athletic Communications at jsf16@psu.edu. Interview opportunities of Penn State softball coaches and student-athletes can be made following the event. Other interview opportunities will be made available on site at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. While this event is not open to the public, GoPSUsports.com will have complete coverage of the event on Friday evening.
The Nittany Lion softball team travels to East Lansing, Mich. on Wednesday for a doubleheader against Michigan State. Penn State then faces Indiana for a pair of games at Beard Field on Saturday (5:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m.).
--NITTANY LIONS--