Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 18) - For the Mike and Patty Smith Family, Loyola Marymount University is more than just an alma mater. It has been a way of life and they wanted to give back. They did just that and the LMU softball team, the 2005 Pacific Coast Softball Conference champions, will have a new home in Smith Field.

Thanks to a gift from the Smith Family, a brand new softball field is being constructed and will be finished by October. The unique softball diamond will be another piece of the Smith Family's tie to LMU. Mike graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts. Patty also came back to school after 30 years and finished her degree in 1998-99. And just like their parents, their three daughters also earned degrees at LMU.

"We just wanted to give back to the University," said Mike. "This is the first time we have made a major gift and we wanted it to be to athletics. I loved my time at Loyola and what the institution did for me. Each of our three daughters all had different but positive experiences at LMU. The best thing that can be said about LMU is that our daughters each said if they had to do it again they would chose LMU every time." The Smith's also have three sons, who went to Fairfield, Santa Clara and UCLA.

The new Smith Field will be as unique as the family's college experience as the ballpark will combine state-of-the-art with a park-like atmosphere. Smith Field will be in a similar location than the original ball field but flipped so that home plate is in the northwest corner.

"People ask us why athletics," said Mike. "We grew up playing sports and enjoy them. But more importantly we love Bill Husak (Athletics Director) and the team that surrounds him. They are doing some amazing things. We have donated some small things in the past and now this gift. It has been really fun to give something that seems to be so appreciated. Because of that attitude, We support what athletics is doing. They have made this period of time very enjoyable."

For the project to get started, nearly 3,500 yards of dirt had to be moved and relocated to build the mounds for the seating areas. That amount of dirt is equivalent to 350 dump trucks. They started by making a mound of dirt for the third base side seating area, which sits more than 10 feet above the field surface. The seating will be grass tiers climbing from the top of the recessed dugouts to the point 10-feet above the playing surface.

The dugouts are professional grade and sit two-feet below the surface. The dimensions of the park are 200-feet in left and right field and 215 feet in dead center. The outfield fence will stand four-feet high with a grass slope climbing behind for addition lawn seating.

Behind the dugouts on both the left and right field lines will be two bullpens consisting of two pitching mounds and plates. Behind home plate will be a 35-foot high net backstop. The final piece will be a state-of-the-art scoreboard complete with line score, balls, strikes and outs. Also included in the project behind centerfield will be a batting cage. It will be constructed using the structure from the old handball courts.

The entire east side of the athletics outdoor park has undergone major changes this summer with the additional construction of the new golf practice facility behind centerfield. Men's golf and softball will split the old handball court as the other side will be a driving cage. The entire project will be completed by October. The final piece of summer construction is the new fan park within the Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center, home to LMU water polo and swimming.

For more information on how to help "Build Champions" through athletics facilities, go to the Building Champions webpage.

- GO LIONS -