Penn State Mont Alto will host an opening day ceremony for its new baseball field on Thursday, April 1, 2010 as they host Penn State Scranton for a double header to start at 2 p.m. The new field is located at the corner of Slabtown Road and Route 233 North (Park Street).

Baseball is returning to Mont Alto after a decade-long hiatus. The last time the campus fielded a team, practices and games were held on borrowed diamonds in the community. Mont Alto stopped offering baseball after the 1999 season when those borrowed fields became unavailable. "Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia are highly competitive in high school baseball.  Having a brand new stadium provides a pool of students to recruit and be competitive in our conference.  They will have a Penn State education and a Penn State athletic experience," said Marty Ogle, Mont Alto's director of athletics.  The 2010 team roster includes 14 student athletes from four states; additionally, seven new recruits have committed to join the program in 2011.

The new field was built and groomed into game-ready shape over the past three years. "It's quite an accomplishment and honor to have students wearing Penn State Mont Alto baseball jerseys again and having a stadium on campus," said Ogle.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies will begin before the game at 1:30 p.m. Mont Alto Chancellor Dr. David Gnage and representatives from the athletic department at University Park will speak. Free pizza and T-shirts will be given to the first 50 students who attend the game; Penn State ID required.

The Mont Alto Softball team will also open their season at home against Penn State Scranton Thursday at 2 p.m. on the Penn Gate softball field.

We invite all to join us as we celebrate the opening our new field and exciting game play by your Penn State Mont Alto Baseball and Softball teams.

For more information contact:
Ashley Jacobs
Associate Director of Athletics
Penn State Mont Alto
anj3@psu.edu
(717) 749-6173