USA – UCF and the baseball program announced Tuesday its season-ticket information for the upcoming 2009 campaign, with tickets already available to the public. This will be a great opportunity for Knights supporters to be a part of head coach Terry Rooney’s first year in the dugout, as well as experience the stadium’s new chairback seats, new ticket plan and a clear vision for the future.

A total of 125 benchback seats in section 101 right behind home plate will be transformed to chairback seats this year. This will allow fans to enjoy a very comfortable view of the Knights on the diamond.

Along with the addition of chairbacks, also in the works for the 2009 campaign will be to move in the outfield fences in the alleys and in center field. The foul poles will remain 320 feet from home plate, but the alleys will change from 370 to 360 feet, while the distance to center switches from 400 to 390 feet. Meanwhile, the height of the fence will remain the same from pole to pole, with the original batter’s eye wall to be located behind the first fence in dead-center field.

UCF Athletics is set to add an additional 500-800 bleacher seats down the third-base line as well. This could occur once existing seating is sold. A master plan for Jay Bergman Field has been developed which calls for a total capacity of 4,000 and includes the addition of suites, a new press box, additional restrooms and points of sale locations for concessions and merchandise. The plan also details patio and outfield seating. It will be the first major renovation of the stadium since it opened on the north side of campus for the 2001 season.

“As we begin a new era of UCF baseball under the direction of Terry Rooney, fans will continue to see changes at the ballpark,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director David Hansen.

“In 2008, we added a new video/scoreboard to the venue. In 2009, the benchback seats in section 101 will be converted to chairbacks. For the first time fans will have the opportunity to partake in baseball premium seating.”

Season tickets can be purchased by contacting the UCF Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com.

Chairbacks will cost just $199 for the entire season, while reserved benchback style locations will be $150. Youths from three to 17 years old, faculty/staff and senior citizens 55 and over will only cost $99 for benchback seating.

Meanwhile, 2008 season ticket holders will be receiving their renewal information. With chairbacks expecting to go fast, fans are encouraged to place their orders soon in order to guarantee seats for home games against Florida, Tulane and Southern Miss, among other key dates.

A brand new option for spectators hoping to visit the ballpark regularly is to purchase a Flex Pack Voucher. This allows fans to select from either a five, 10, 20 or 25-game voucher that can be redeemed for a reserved benchback seat for any combination of games that they would like to attend. These will only cost $20, $30, $60 and $75, respectively, for these Flex Pack options.

Single-game tickets will be $7 for an adult, $5 for youths, faculty/staff and senior citizens and $3 for groups of 20 or more. There are a total of 33 home games set for 2009, beginning with Opening Day on Feb. 20 against Virginia Commonwealth at 6:30 p.m. The 2009 schedule also features Conference USA battles against Marshall and Houston, the 2008 C-USA Tournament champion, along with a pair of non-conference rumbles with both USF and Stetson.

“It is a very exciting time right now for UCF baseball,” said Rooney. “With recent upgrades to the facility and future enhancements on the way, this program will accelerate its march to the upper echelon of college baseball. As we continue in that climb, there is a style of baseball that will allow us to achieve this goal. And by changing the dimensions of the field it will truly allow us to embrace the specific style of play that we are looking for. With the new premium seating and season-ticket packages, I hope baseball fans across central Florida will be come out to see the 2009 Knights.”

During the stadium’s inaugural season in 2001, UCF ranked 38th in the country by averaging 911 fans per game. However, with the move to Conference USA in 2006, which is consistently one of the top five toughest leagues in college baseball, fans have invaded the ballpark in impressive fashion.

In 2006, the Knights averaged 551 per outing, then 849 in 2007. Last season, a whopping 1,052 fans per game ventured through the gates to check out UCF, setting the program’s all-time record. In all, more than 152,000 fans have taken in a ballgame at the facility. UCF is 187-90 all-time at JBF for a .675 winning percentage. The Black and Gold went 26-12 on its home surface in 2008, including wins over No. 4 Rice and No. 5 Missouri.

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com – the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF’s new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

Media Release: UCF Athletics

Tags: Facilities, NCAA