GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Grove City College will name its new baseball field in honor of alumnus William C. "Bill" Stewart '61, a stalwart of the team that brought baseball back to Grove City College in 1959, a longtime supporter of the College's vision, mission, and values, and lead donor on the project.

The $3 million facility is part of Impact 150: The Anniversary Campaign for Grove City College, an ongoing effort to raise $185 million to increase scholarship funding and make needed campus improvements, including athletic facility upgrades that will benefit students and student-athletes.

"This new field is a major milestone in Wolverine athletics. Bill's friendship and support is an enormous blessing for our student athletes. It will result in even greater success for the College's baseball program," President Paul J. McNulty '80 said.

Stewart was a sophomore when Grove City College brought back baseball in 1959 after a decades-long hiatus. He started each of his three seasons at first base and became one of the program's first three-year lettermen.

On May 4, 1959, Stewart had probably the greatest individual offensive performance ever by a Grove City player when he hit for the cycle, going 5 for 6 with a grand slam, a triple, a double and two singles against Slippery Rock State. 

After graduating with an engineering degree, Stewart went to work for PPG and later became CEO of the Armstrong Group, a family-owned diverse, Butler, Pa.-based corporation that provides cable telecommunications, security, real estate and other services. He is retired.

Today's Wolverine baseball team is playing on the same field Stewart helped break in all those years ago and the diamond is a little rough. Laid out 60 years ago, the field has persistent drainage issues, uneven terrain in the outfield, and lacks standard modern features. Field conditions have also forced the team to play home games on the road at times. 

It is a relic that affects the way the team practices and plays and how the school looks to potential recruits, according to head coach coach Matt Royer.

"There are so many advantages to a new field. It's an advantage to play at home. It will definitely help recruiting … and will really help out in practice,". Royer said. "Now we have guys fielding ground balls on the soccer field. We'll be able to use our whole field," he said.

William C. Stewart Baseball Field will be located on College property along Pinchalong Road, east of campus. The move will accommodate important improvements that will allow the program to grow in the short and long term, including turf for the infield and outfield, which will minimize maintenance and injuries, and space to accommodate lights, parking, and additional seating for spectators.

In addition to Grove City College baseball, the field will be open to community groups, area schools, churches, and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) for high school playoff games in western Pennsylvania.

Baseball is the College's oldest sport, with a 4-3 victory over Westminster in 1884 recorded as the first intercollegiate contest. The program faded away in the 1920s, however, and remained dormant until 1959.

The new baseball field is one of three major Impact 150 projects focused on bringing athletic facilities to a level that matches the excellence and commitment of Wolverine student-athletes and serves the needs all students. New facilities are necessary to sustain the momentum and growth of Grove City College's varsity sports programs and to relieve pressure on existing facilities in the Physical Learning Center and Upper Campus that are used by the entire student body.

The plans include: a new $20 million Lower Campus field house with locker rooms for football, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's tennis, multipurpose training spaces, coaching staff offices, and game day facilities; and a permanent indoor facility on Upper Campus with an inflated dome roof that can accommodate intramural programs and varsity sports throughout the year.

Impact 150, the largest fundraising campaign in Grove City College history, is tied the College's sesquicentennial in 2026. To find out more about the campaign and support efforts to increase financial aid, improve campus facilities, and position the College for its second century-and-a-half, visit gcc.edu/impact150.