Press box allows more press

By Aaron Graff

The new press box at Itchy Jones Stadium will be five times bigger and infinite times better than the old Abe Martin Field.

Andy Pettit, SIU associate athletic director, has been overseeing the construction of the stadium, and he said the press box alone cost roughly $200,000.

He said construction of the press box has been happening at the same time as the rest of the stadium, and because of the cold weather the construction crew have been working on the inside of the press box more.

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“There’s about three different contractors in there every day,” Pettit said. “It’s a nice space for a baseball press box, but for those guys to work in there, you can’t get more than ten guys in there.”

The new facility is approximately 800 square feet. Pettit said there was not enough space for even the essential media members to fit into the press box.

“Before, we had literally a spot for maybe one media member to sit out of the weather,” Pettit said. “College baseball is typically played in 40 degree weather, so the press box is huge.”

Coach Ken Henderson said the team needs media coverage, and he was not happy when opposing schools brought media members with them.

“The old one was embarrassing,” Henderson said. “The media is very important to us. Having people cover our games is important and hopefully they will be able to enjoy the game in a little more comfort.”

Pettit said the new facility is flexible on seating and depending if the visitors bring a radio crew with them the box could seat 10 people comfortably.

“Really what it was before was a shed on top of the bleachers,” Petit stated.

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It will also allow the media to video stream the games online in a more efficient way. He said the video services crew used to have cables running everywhere, but now everything will be ready to go in the press box.

“It was scabbed together before, now it’s going to be first class,” Petit said.

It will be closer to the ground but senior pitcher Todd Eaton said it would not be distracting because of its similarity to several other fields SIU has played at, including University of Illinois and Illinois State University.

“Anything is better than what we had before,” Eaton said.

Henderson said the team obviously needs it and that it will add to the image of the stadium.

“We have to have the amenities to go with the field,” Henderson said. “The playing surface is the most important thing to me, but it’s just a statement that we’re not doing things halfway.”

The press box will have its own name as well. Pettit said there is a donor who will get to name it, as long as a committee approves. He said the donor has come up with a name, and he thinks the committee will approve it. But, he would not disclose the name.

The construction has roughly four weeks left and should be ready for the first home series against Northern Illinois University starting Feb. 28.

Aaron Graff can be contacted at [email protected]@Aarongraff_DE, or 536-3311 ext. 269

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