April 16, 2008

Ohio Wesleyan to Hold Sports Dedication Ceremonies Saturday

In addition to two doubleheader matchups, the day also will include dedication ceremonies for Margaret Sagan Field and the C. Peter Hauck Press Box at Littick Field.

The highlight of the day will be the 12:40 p.m. dedication of the new Margaret Sagan Field, which brings the softball team back to campus for the first time since 2000. The South Henry Street facility features dugouts, bleacher seating, and a two-story press box with areas for media, concessions, and storage.

The softball field was built with a lead $250,000 contribution from Margaret Pickett Sagan ’48, an enthusiastic OWU supporter for more than 60 years. Sagan, who now resides in Chicago, is scheduled to throw out the first pitch as the Bishops take on the Hiram Terriers.

“I played softball when I was in high school some 65 years ago,” Sagan says. “When I learned that Ohio Wesleyan needed a women’s softball field, I was more than happy to pitch in.”

Sagan and her late husband, John ’48, a former university trustee, previously have provided support for multiple university initiatives, including the annual Sagan National Colloquium lecture series and Sagan Academic Resource Center.

Preceding the Sagan ceremony will be the 11:40 a.m. dedication of the new C. Peter Hauck Press Box at Littick Field. The two-story press box is being named in honor of Hauck ’52, a Toledo, Ohio, resident.

The university received an anonymous $100,000 gift to honor Hauck as well as support upgrades at Littick Field. In addition to adding the press box, the project also involved relocating the bleachers to the sides of the field. Hauck, a big baseball fan, is scheduled to throw out the first pitch as the Bishops take on the Kenyon Lords.

The total investment for both projects was $650,000. Work included building a parking lot at the baseball-softball complex to accommodate off-street parking as well as adding landscaping at both fields to screen and beautify the area.

“Our new baseball-softball complex provides excellent playing fields for our student-athletes,” says David Robbins, Ph.D., interim president and provost. “We’re thankful to everyone who supported these projects, especially Marge Sagan for making the softball field possible. We’re also pleased to honor Pete Hauck by naming the baseball press box in his honor. Gifts such as these allow our students to be competitive in a wide array of sports that meets their diverse talents and interests.”

Admission to OWU’s regular-season softball and baseball games is always free, so come join the celebration!

— Cole Hatcher