Baseball | March 25, 2022

PHILADELPHIA – The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (DRIA) at the University of Pennsylvania is excited to announce that the Penn Baseball community has raised the full $2,050,000 to hit the goal of the Warren Lichtenstein, C'87 match challenge. Now that the program has surpassed this goal, the playing surface will be known as Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium once renovations are completed. The anticipated completion date will be in time for the 2023 season.  

"We put out the call to the community in mid-January to hit this goal in March, and I am in awe at how many people within Penn Baseball stepped up to help us bring our vision for the stadium to life," said John Yurkow, the W. Joseph Blood Head Coach of Baseball at Penn. "I want to thank Warren Lichtenstein, W'87 for spearheading this challenge and for every single donor to the project. Without you, we would not be well positioned to create these upgrades and enhance the experiences of our current and future student-athletes. I am forever grateful for your generosity and investment in Penn Baseball."

"Today marks a momentous day for Penn Baseball," noted Alanna Shanahan, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr., W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation. "The Penn Baseball community rose to the occasion with their generous investment in this project, which will benefit our student-athletes for years to come. Thank you to everyone who supported this project, and thank you to Warren for leading this matching initiative."

By hitting this goal, the program will be able to renovate the field starting in late fall 2022, with renovations expected to be completed in time for the 2023 season. Planned upgrades for the renovation will include a fully-turfed field, renovated dugouts, a re-orientation of the field, updated protective netting surrounding the field, and a pitchers development area.
 
"I want to thank the Penn Baseball community for stepping up to this challenge," said Warren Lichtenstein, C'87, the primary challenge donor to this effort. "The culmination of your efforts will be a world-class field where our student-athletes can continue to learn life lessons, grit, and perseverance through the game of baseball while also honoring the legacy of my dear friend, Pennsylvania native, Hall of Fame Manager, Tommy Lasorda."
 
There are still opportunities to support the project and support the Penn Baseball annual fund before the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2022. For more information about getting involved with Penn Baseball, please contact Tim McLaughlin in the Penn Champions Club at (215) 573-5350 or at tmclau@upenn.edu.