Santa Fe College broke ground on a baseball and softball facility that will elevate the student-athlete experience for the JUCO program.
The $2.5 million, 3,612-square foot Hitchcock Family Clubhouse will serve as an on-site locker room facility for both teams. The initial phase of construction, with a timeline to be completed by the spring of 2027, will build the clubhouse for athletes. A secondary phase of construction will add indoor batting cages for both programs.
“It means a lot,” Santa Fe softball coach Savanah Webster said. “It gives the kids a really good place to team bond with each other. They are getting out of the weather. They have somewhere to be safe at, to change, to show all the other teams what we have.”
The idea spawned close to a decade ago, shortly after former Santa Fe College baseball coach Johnny Wiggs guided the Saints to a JUCO World Series trip in 2016. Santa Fe athletic director Chanda Stebbins said the groundbreaking was the culmination of getting a number of internal and external stakeholders on the same page, which included a significant donation from the Hitchcock Family.
Currently, Santa Fe College baseball and softball players often change in their cars before games. There’s also about a half mile walk from the baseball and softball fields to the nearest campus buildings to seek shelter in case of lightning storms.
“Student safety is paramount in this,” Stebbins said. “The other thing is the student experience it will help our coaches recruit better, it will help our coaches and our current student athletes feel valued and feel like this is a place where they want to provide.”
Santa Fe’s softball program reached the JUCO World Series for the first time in 13 years in 2026, finishing the year with a 48-17. The Saints baseball program has sent a number of players to SEC schools and Major League Baseball, including outfielder Tyler Shelnut (Florida Gators) and pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (New York Yankees).
“It’s just awesome to have a spot,” Santa Fe baseball infielder/outfielder Gavin Jones, “My favorite memories growing up in the locker rooms were just hanging out with the guys before and after games and celebrating wins. So that part is going to be huge for us.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Santa Fe College breaks ground on new baseball, softball clubhouse
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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By Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
