Easton Stadium, the home of the UCLA softball team, is
undergoing major renovations in an effort to expand the seating
area and move the facility into the ranks of the better stadiums in
college softball. These renovations weren’t complete by
UCLA’s first home game of the season on Tuesday, as the fans
were confined to temporary bleachers on one side of the field,
which will stay there through Thursday’s doubleheader against
Utah State. The temporary wooden bleachers that had been in place
at Easton Stadium for over a decade are now gone, and are being
replaced by 1,300 chair-back seats with stadium-style seating.
“I’m thoroughly excited about getting those stadium
seats,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said. “When you look at
everything right now, we’ll have the largest theater
seat-style stadium in the Pac-10 and we already have a great
playing surface and clubhouse,” she said.
“There’s not a stadium around that can hold up to
that.” After Thursday’s games, construction will resume
and is expected to be completed before the Bruins’ next home
game on April 15 against Arizona State. One of the reasons the
stadium seating was renovated and expanded was to accommodate the
large number of fans who attend the marquee home games of the year,
like the games against Arizona, according to Ken Weiner, the
associate athletic director who is overseeing the renovation
project. “When you make improvements, you want to make them
to the best of your ability with the amount of funding you have
available,” Weiner said. In addition to the stadium seating,
the entrance to Easton Stadium is being redesigned to be more fan
friendly. According to Weiner, the goal is to make the entrance to
Easton Stadium look more like an old-time East Coast baseball
stadium and “in due time, cover it with ivy.” Money for
the project came from private funds. Enquist hopes the stadium
renovations will help bring more fans to Easton Stadium, especially
students. Currently students make up a low percentage of the fans
that go to UCLA softball games. “I hope students take a long
lunch break and come up and watch us play,” Enquist said.
“Who knows, you might fall in love with the game. It’s
a fast-paced game.”
UTAH STATE COMES TO TOWN: The Bruins will play a doubleheader
against Utah State on Thursday, starting at 1 p.m. The Aggies are
6-9 this season. Admission will be free for all fans, but seating
is restricted due to the ongoing renovations.