Update: The baseball doubleheader originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 1, against St. John’s has been postponed due to weather and moved to Thursday, May 3, with the first game beginning at 2:30 p.m. The groundbreaking for the new baseball clubhouse will now be held this afternoon, Tuesday, May 1, at 4 p.m.
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University invites the community to its Winona Campus Tuesday, May 1, as ground is broken on its new $704,000 baseball clubhouse. A ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. on the south side of Gostomski Fieldhouse, near the hockey arena lobby.
The 2,500-square-foot facility, made possible by a generous lead gift from 1975 alumnus Marc Weisenburger, will include:
- a locker room with 46 locker stalls
- a players’ lounge for study, team meetings, and quiet time
- big screen TVs, a ping pong table and gaming area
- a coaches’ space
- bathrooms and a shower facility
- a laundry facility
- storage
The clubhouse will be named “Pudge’s Place” after Weisenburger’s nickname from his playing days as a catcher with the Saint Mary’s baseball team from 1971 to 1975. Weisenburger made the gift in honor of his experiences at Saint Mary’s, both in school and on the field‚ particularly under the guidance of Hall of Fame Coach Max Molock.
“I wanted to see how Saint Mary’s baseball program could have a difference maker. I wanted to see what we could create that would differentiate Saint Mary’s baseball program from other MIAC baseball programs. This creates value around the baseball program, and it allows us to compete against larger schools with bigger budgets.
“In the end, when you see a student’s excitement, it could be a difference maker for a student to want to be part of the legacy created by Max Molock during his 42 years of leading the baseball program,” Weisenburger added. “That’s always the foundation. It always gets back to Max and the foundation he created. That’s what makes it special, but you have to continue to invest in the tradition.”
Nick Winecke ’07, associate athletic director and head coach of the Saint Mary’s baseball team, called the new addition to Cardinal athletic facilities “a game changer.” Approximately 50 young alumni have stepped up to the plate to chip in additional funds for the facility.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Winecke said, adding that “the clubhouse is part of a bigger plan for enhancing Saint Mary’s athletics, and another welcomed and visible example of what is possible on campus when generous benefactors contribute to athletic facilities and programs.”