It is a donation of “major league” proportions! St. Thomas University is the recipient of a substantial donation from the Boras Foundation that will be a WIN-WIN situation for both “teams”.
The Boras Foundation – founded by renowned baseball agent Scott Boras – is donating a state-of-the-art batting facility. The batting cages, constructed to a Major League standard, are covered, allowing players to hit during poor weather conditions, and, with movable screening to allow for additional baseball skills work under one roof. The cages, currently under construction behind the left field wall of Paul Demie Mainieri Field, will give the Bobcats baseball program a Major League quality facility to practice hitting. In addition, the donation includes contemporary training equipment that is now used by the Bobcats in the University’s fitness facility in the Fernandez Family Center. The donation further includes upgrading the infield on the baseball field and furnishing netting for the front of the scoreboard for added protection.
The Boras Sports Training Institute – which oversees the training of the professional baseball players that are clients of the Boras Corporation – will lease the facilities for training for their professional athlete clients during the off-season (between November and February) each year. They will be using the campus’ old athletic offices – and former office of legendary Miami Dolphins Head Coach Don Shula – to coordinate their on-site program. This will provide STU student-athletes an opportunity to observe the training program of major league players.
“STU student-athletes will now train at the same facilities as elite Major League Baseball players, giving the Bobcats a championship edge that very few college baseball programs can claim,” said Director of Athletics Laura Courtley-Todd. “Bobcats Athletics is Championship Athletics. St. Thomas University is excited and grateful to The Boras Foundation and Boras Sports Training Institute for this incredible and exciting new facility upgrade.”
