When the Northern Kentucky Univ. (NKU) men’s baseball team made the leap from NCAA Division II to Division I, in the competitive Atlantic Sun Conference this year, upgrading the home field became a priority. Replacing the old outfield wall was on the top of the “to do” list, but few people expected it to transform the entire venue.
Todd Asalon, NKU’s head coach, saw it as an opportunity to upgrade the team’s identity and give the team a true home-field advantage. “My main goal was to honor the team’s history, so current players would feel connected to the past,” said Asalon.
The objective was to decorate the wall in such a way that it would inspire pride, but not stand out or interfere with play.
Designers at BigSigns (Grand Haven, MI) working with NKU were challenged to incorporate the team logo, past and present players, and pay tribute to the program’s founding coach, Bill Aker. All while incorporating the team’s name and website. Add that the entire middle third had to be stark black to prevent creating a distraction for batters, and there was quite a challenge.
NKU’s school colors, yellow and black, figure prominently, as do the “Norse” logos with Viking helmets and swords. Player photos were chosen to represent different field positions as well as different eras in the team’s history.
The completed design was printed on Dura-Mesh fence screen, which allows a 35% wind pass-through. Installation and maintence was/is a breeze, because the entire sunscreen is connected to the stadium’s pole structure with grommets and lashes.
“The outfield wall gives our opponents the impression that they are visiting a first-class facility,” commented Asalon, whose teams have racked up seven NCAA Division II tournament appearances and a 434-272-1 record. As he enters his 14th season as coach at NKU, Asalon says the traditions and winning spirit of the team continue to grow and contribute to the overall success of the university’s core mission of educating the next generation of this country’s leaders.
The appropriate design and branding of the outfield sunscreen has played a small part in that mission as well.