Featured Story

Raiders' new covered practice facility opens

Thursday, Nov 15, 2012
Joseph Hunter

Seminole State's new covered practice facility

Seminole State College of Florida’s athletic teams moved into their new covered practice facility this September.

An interior view of Seminole State College's new covered practice facility

The facility, spanning nearly 8,000 square feet, includes ample space to accommodate Seminole State’s baseball, softball and women’s golf teams. The turfed facility includes four batting cages, portable pitching mounds and movable nets that allow for flexible usage.

“The covered practice facility shows our commitment to athletics at Seminole State, as well as the commitment we have to providing our student-athletes with top-of-the-line facilities,” says John Scarpino, director of athletics. “With its size and flexibility, as well as the lighting fixtures, which provide 125 lumens per square foot, our facility is on par with any other collegiate covered facility in the nation.”

The College's District Board of Trustees chose Orlando firm Skanska USA Building to design the $450,000 facility. Construction began in May and was completed at the end of August. It is located just north of Jack Pantelias Field, the Raider baseball team’s home field, and just east of the softball field.

The covered facility was funded with a private donation from Major League Baseball pitcher and three-time All-Star Thomas “Flash” Gordon, whose son, Dee – a shortstop currently playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers – attended Seminole State. Supplemental funding came from student activity funds, corporate support and additional private donations.

The facility had been in the planning stages for more than five years, but the Gordon family's donation enabled construction in time for this year’s Fall Term.

“When we talk to recruits, one of the main considerations they have when they choose a college is facilities,” Scarpino says. “This new practice facility helps ensure the continued success of our programs. Our players will be able to train in a facility that is equal to those of many Division I programs.”

The spring season for Seminole State’s three athletic teams begins in January. For more information, including full schedules, please visit the Raider athletics homepage.