Athletics department works to obtain a new home for Blazer baseball

By Aden Sievert//

The athletics department is working to obtain the baseball diamond at Max Kehne Park on Seventh Street and make it the new home for Blazer baseball.

In an email to students on April 3, President Andrea Chapdelaine sent out the most recent master plan that the Board of Trustees had approved. Along with several new changes to Hood’s campus, the updated plan also included a goal to use Max Kehne Park as the new baseball field.

Hood Baseball is currently under contract with Frederick Community College, which allows the team to play its home games and practice at FCC. The contract ends in 2024 so the team  must find a new field for the 2025 season.

Hood’s athletic director, Susan Kolb, confirmed that while the process is still in the early steps, the school has begun negotiations with the city of Frederick.

Right now, the park is used for adult slow-pitch softball. For the field to be eligible for NCAA baseball, the field must be extended on all sides.

“The No. 1 priority with negotiation is just getting the field to the length and the depth we need it to be and then certainly cost,” Kolb said.

The athletics department has held meetings with the mayor, the director of parks and recreation and a meeting with a water company to discuss the building of a new field.

Currently, there are both inactive and active water lines that run under the field at Max Kehne, that pose a challenge for construction. This was a problem that the school faced when installing the new turf field and the new press box.

“We’re going to build the nicest facility that we can with the confinement of the water lines and our budget,” Kolb said.

Hood’s chief financial officer Robert Klinedinst, baseball coach Michael Impellittiere, and an engineer have all helped develop the plan.

Current baseball players are excited about the proposed baseball field because of how it can affect the program.

“I feel that we would benefit tremendously as a team and more people will support our team since we would be very close to campus. A baseball field closer to campus would also bring a lot more attention from the recruits that we bring on campus because everybody prefers a field on campus,” first-year player Mason Salisbury said.

“I think a baseball field would be an amazing addition to Hood College baseball program,” first-year player Austin Rhue added. “I believe it will grow the name of Hood College and their baseball team and it will definitely be a big attribution to our success. We will finally have our own place to practice and play the sport we all love.”