California Baptist University Athletics Master Plan

Modern sports facility celebrates historic university’s new NCAA status

To support California Baptist University’s entry into the NCAA’s Division I, the baseball and softball complex integrates a modern sports facility into a private campus that has buildings dating to the 1920s. LPA worked closely with the university to prioritize goals and understand campus aesthetics as part of a campus master plan process; the baseball and softball complex is the first phase to be built.

The baseball complex incorporates key architectural features, such as arched arcades, found across campus. The project includes a 2,000-seat baseball stadium, 1,500-seat softball stadium, two-tiered press boxes, full netting systems, recessed dugouts, film-level sports lighting, professional-grade LED video scoreboards, food service facilities and VIP terraces and event spaces. Cantilevered shade structures help define the design, which also adds classrooms directly accessible from the field.

Sports-specific branding, representing the culture of Lancer athletics, creates distinctions between the two unique stadiums. However, both stadiums use natural grass infields and outfields that transition to synthetic turf in the foul zones. This sustainable strategy conserves water while also respecting quality of play and reducing risk of player injuries.