Lycoming set to expand athletic offerings with baseball and field hockey in 2022-23

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Dec 17, 2020, 13:15 ET

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With approval from the Lycoming College Board of Trustees, the College will expand its varsity athletic offerings with the addition of baseball and field hockey, during the 2022-23 academic year, the College's President Kent Trachte announced on Thursday, Dec. 17.

"This decision to add baseball and field hockey to the intercollegiate sports program reflects Lycoming College's commitment to educating the whole person—mind, body and spirit," Lycoming College President Kent Trachte said. "It will also enable the College to attract more talented student-athletes to our community. Taking this step will require that we provide the programs with access to athletic facilities. The College is in the second phase of what will be a $3 million investment in UPMC Field that includes lights, locker rooms, stadium seating, offices and an athletic training station. We are grateful to UPMC Susquehanna for their substantial support of this project. The addition of baseball, meanwhile, is made possible by a partnership with the Williamsport/Lycoming Visitors Bureau and their plans to construct a new baseball and softball facility, which will become the home of Warrior baseball."

Lycoming began the process of reinstating the two programs in 2018 and with the approval of the Board of Trustees has advanced the process to its next stage, where the College will begin national searches for the program's head coaches in early 2021 with the expectation that both teams will be ready for varsity action in 2022-23.

"The decision to add baseball and field hockey, two sports with strong local roots, is another great example of Lycoming College's commitment to a strong intercollegiate athletics program," Director of Athletics Mike Clark said. "Baseball, obviously, has firm roots in Lycoming County, with long and distinguished histories established through minor league baseball at Bowman Field, Little League International and several really, really good high school programs in District 4. Field hockey, also, has strong roots in Central Pennsylvania, with the two best nationally-recognized programs little more than 40 minutes from our campus in Bloomsburg and Lock Haven, as well as six state champion teams hailing from District 4. We are excited to return to action and help continue to build on that tradition."

The two sports are the first to be added to Lycoming's athletic offerings since men's and women's lacrosse were started in 1997, increasing the school's NCAA sports offerings to 19. Baseball will take the field for the first time representing Lycoming since 1971 and field hockey will take the field for the first time since 1992.

More information is available at https://lycomingathletics.com/news/2020/12/17/general-lycoming-set-to-expand-athletic-offerings-with-baseball-and-field-hockey-in-2022-23.aspx.

About Lycoming College

Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is one of the nation's oldest and most respected liberal arts colleges. Today, our community of 1,200 active learners from 26 states and territories and 13 countries comprises a student body that is 37 percent domestic students of color or international, all of whom work with our renowned scholars to craft customized combinations of market-driven majors, minors, and concentrations across our 40+ academic programs. Students compete in 17 NCAA Division III sports, participate in faculty-driven research, thrive in a robust program of internship experiences, and study abroad in more than two dozen countries. Lycoming College has one of the highest endowment-per-student ratios in the country and is ranked by Forbes as a Top ROI College, and by The Princeton Review as one of The 386 Best Colleges. Lycoming College is dedicated to providing a high-quality liberal arts and sciences education for all students. Learn more at http://www.lycoming.edu.

SOURCE Lycoming College