University of Central Arkansas Bears Baseball
Early Seasons in Division I-AA
Although probably overshadowed by the popularity of the UCA Bear Football team, the baseball program at the University of Central Arkansas has had some success since the UCA athletic program moved up to Division I-AA. They joined the Southland Conference in the 2006-2007 academic year, so their first season in that conference was during the 2007 season.
Led by Head Coach Doug Clark, they improved from their first year in the Southland Conference, going 21-32 (10-20) in 2007, by having a record of 27-27-1 (13-16-1) in 2008. Not only did they improve record wise, but they also defeated two Top Ten ranked opponents from Division I-A (No. 8 Ole Miss on March 18 and No. 10 Wichita State on May 6).
Renovation of UCA Field
Due to the success of the baseball team and their leap into Division I-AA, plans have been made to renovate the UCA baseball stadium, UCA Field. Many thought that it was not in the shape that it should be for a Division I school, so the University of Central Arkansas hired Wittenberg, Delony, and Davidson to make the plans for UCA Field's renovation. Apparently, UCA's athletic director Brad Teague is pleased with the plans. Teague stated, “You can see we're getting top-notch quality. These renderings give us a great look at what the completed facility will look like. You can see from these images that it is going to be an impressive, Division I-quality stadium that will compare favorably around our league.”
The dugouts, lights, and playing surface from the previous complex will remain the same, but other things such as the seating, press box, parking, restrooms, and concession stands will definitely be given a makeover. The construction of the new facility began in the middle of May in 2008 and is planned to be completed in the Winter of 2008.
