Penn State Worthington Scranton dedicated the Matt McGloin Baseball Field and the UGI Utilities Softball Field at a ribbon cutting ceremony today at the campus.
The two new fields, along with an improved soccer field, are the completed first phase of a three-phase, multi-million dollar campus Athletic Facilities Renovation. The fields area also has new scoreboards, dugouts, bleachers, a field house, concession stand and sports information center.
Bob Beard, President and CEO of UGI Utilities, Inc., and a PSWS alumnus, was the first guest speaker.
"I believe supporting our communities is integral to the mission of UGI," Beard said. "We are pleased to provide support to a wide range of organizations, including Penn State Worthington Scranton."
The ribbon-cutting ceremony also included a personal message from West Scranton native Matt McGloin, a former Nittany Lions quarterback now with the Oakland Raiders.
"Having grown up playing baseball, and with baseball being one of my favorite sports, it's truly an unexpected and terrific honor to have a baseball [field] named after me in the Scranton area," he said. "I hope the Matt McGloin Baseball Field will inspire future athletes to excel in athletics."
PSWS Director of Development Maria Russoniello thanked all of the groups, individuals and donors who came together to help make these new fields a reality, and paid tribute to the efforts of retiring PSWS Chancellor Mary-Beth Krogh-Jespersen.
"Every team has a captain, and we have been most fortunate to have Chancellor Dr. Mary-Beth Krogh-Jespersen as our team captain for the past 15 years. This renovation would not have occurred without her vision and backing, and it is the last of several significant campus enhancements during her tenure here. Thank you, Dr. Krogh-Jespersen!"
Future phases of this project will create a campus wellness center; an auxiliary gym, and major improvements to the Multi-Purpose Building, which will include renovated offices, classrooms, bathrooms, shower and locker facilities, and a new gymnasium.
The second and third phases of this project will also be the first major renovation for the school's Multi-Purpose Building (gym), which was built in 1968.
Since then, the campus' athletics department has grown to include over 100 student athletes participating in eight varsity sports and 11 club and intramural sports and boasts state and national recognition, with its varsity teams winning Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) team and individual titles, national rankings in United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), and numerous coach-of-the-year honors.
UGI Utilities is a natural gas and electric utility with headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania. UGI serves 670,000 customers in 45 Pennsylvania counties and one county in Maryland.
Customers and community members are invited to visit the UGI website at www.ugi.com; its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ugiutilities; or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ugi_utilities
