First pitch ceremony celebrates Centre’s opening of the new Gary Wright Field at Fishman Park

As part of the Initiative for Wellness and Athletic Excellence (IWAE), Centre College held a ribbon cutting and first pitch ceremony on the new Gary Wright Field at Fishman Park on Sunday, March 13.

“It is exciting to finally open this baseball facility, the first phase of the Initiative for Wellness and Athletics Excellence,” said Brad Fields ’98, director of athletics. “The new Gary Wright Field, an elite baseball stadium, along with Fishman Park that includes an indoor player development complex, provides a high-level infrastructure for Centre Baseball to recruit, teach, train and compete with the nation’s best.”

Prior to the first game, the father and son duo Mark and Cameron Fishman ’12, who have been a part of the Centre Athletics family for over a decade, threw the first pitch and catch on the new field.

Cameron was a four-year letter-winner catcher for the Colonels from 2008 to 2012.

As a former parent, Athletic Advisory Council member and generous donor Mark has been a driving force for the IWAE project from the beginning. His contributions are honored with the naming of Fishman Park.

Designed by Cincinnati-based MSA Sport and completed by the construction firm HGC, the new baseball complex features a full synthetic turf field just southeast of the Andrew P. Amend soccer complex, providing student-athletes with an unparalleled Division III experience.

In addition to the newly enhanced and expanded Gary Wright Field, Fishman Park will include an auxiliary baseball facility and batting tunnels. Existing structures on the property will be renovated to improve player development and provide a heightened game day experience.

“The opening of the new Gary Wright Field at Fishman Park is a hallmark event in the history of Centre baseball,” said Head Baseball Coach Drew Briese ’00. “This elite level training and playing ground will be the home to generations of student-athletes who wear the white and gold. It will be their second home on campus, a place where they will not only practice and play but study and learn as they have an impactful student-athlete experience.

“We are grateful for the donors and leaders who brought this project to life,” he continued. “Their vision and support are gifts we will honor with our dedication toward the development of young men through baseball.”

The baseball facilities are part of the larger 135,000-square-foot construction project in the heart of campus that will set a new standard for excellence among the nation’s top-ranked liberal arts colleges.

Thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents and friends of the College, Centre continues to provide the highest level of educational, athletic and co-curricular programming for its students. Additional donations are needed to provide the strong foundation of support required to fully fund this transformational project, elevating Centre’s national distinction and growing its reputation as an elite college with premier educational opportunities.

“I continue to be incredibly grateful to our family of donors that turned this vision into the reality it is today—a first-class collegiate baseball venue,” Fields concluded.