The University of the Philippines (UP) inaugurated on August 5, 2022, a new 21,750-square-meter baseball field in UP Diliman that follows international standards.
Its natural grass turf is also a competition-level venue for softball and throwing events, such as shot put, discus, and javelin throw.
Located between the old UP Gymnasium and Ylanan Street, the facility will be fitted with night-time lighting by October or December in time for the University Athletics Association of the Philippines Season 85, according to UP President Danilo Concepcion. It will include aluminum bleachers with an 800-seating capacity, a bullpen area, locker rooms, bathroom and shower facilities, and perimeter fencing.
UP and UP volleyball varsity alumna Senator Pia Cayetano, who has been leading Congress efforts, since 2012, toward budget appropriations for sports facilities and varsity programs in UP, was the guest of honor. With President Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis “Kiko” Diaz, she signed baseballs to be used in ceremonial pitches. After which, they will be displayed at the College.
Cayetano and the UP officials then proceeded to unveil the marker beside the baseball field, which read: a “venue for Human Kinetics classes and training ground of student-athletes. . . . Through this facility, the University continues to perform its mandate of promoting physical education, encouraging competitive participation in sports activities, and instilling school identity and solidarity.”
Concepcion, who led the inauguration, thanked alumni for supporting UP infrastructure projects.
Diaz, UP Baseball Team Head Coach Anthony Dizer, and Ronilon Pagkaliwagan, UP Softball Team, expressed their gratitude for a facility that, according to them, has been a dream and inspiration for their athletes to excel. Varsity players and several UP Diliman officials and deans were also present to witness the inauguration.
Below are some photos of the baseball field from Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, Prof. Jose Wendell P. Capili.
