Rutgers University-Newark and Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that work on a state-of-the-art baseball stadium has begun at Weequahic Park. The field will be home to the Scarlet Raiders as well as local high schools.
“We are pleased to partner with Rutgers University-Newark and Chancellor Cantor to modernize another baseball field in Essex County Weequahic Park. We are always thinking of ways to keep our recreation facilities up to date and working with Rutgers University-Newark helps fulfill both or our needs. The men’s baseball team will have a first-class facility that meets Division I standards to utilize as their home field and our local high school and recreation teams will enjoy the experience of playing on a collegiate level field,” DiVincenzo said.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system in the United States. It has been expanded to include about 6,000 acres of land and includes 20 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, miniature golf course, four dog parks, a castle, Treetop Adventure Course and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Weequahic Park is 311.33 acres, is one of the original five County parks created in 1895 and is the second-largest park in the Essex County System.
“The impact the new baseball field will have at Weequahic Park and Rutgers University-Newark will be one that extends the community reach of the University. Last season the Scarlet Raiders played in Weequahic Park on a shared field and saw many locals join in the crowd as fans. With a dedicated field and the continued presence of Rutgers University-Newark, the brand and loyalty to the University will only grow. The University will join many of the other higher educations in the conference and in the area that will allow for year-round play and limit cancellations due to inclement weather as state-of-the-art field turf will be placed on the field. Having a dedicated home field will allow the baseball program at RU-N to truly have home-field advantage as the field will be their own and will allow for better and more efficient practices,” said Athletic Director Mark Griffin.
Head Baseball Coach Kevin Kelley added, “I want to thank Essex County, Chancellor Cantor, Mark Griffin and everyone involved for making this opportunity come to fruition. Without a partnership with the county, none of this would be possible. We are grateful for this opportunity to finally have a home field to play on day in and day out. Not only will the Rutgers University-Newark baseball team benefit, but the City of Newark, local high schools and youth leagues will also have an opportunity to play on this field, which will help grow the game of baseball in this county for years to come.”
