The baseball field at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium is undergoing $2.7 million worth of renovations.

In an effort to provide an enhanced home-field advantage for the Terrapins baseball team, the University of Maryland athletic department is helping fund a multimillion-dollar refurbishment of the campus’s 63-year-old Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, officials said.

A total of $2.7 million in athletic department revenue, state funds and philanthropic contributions is funding the project, Zack Bolno, senior associate athletic director, wrote in an email. Stadium construction is on schedule and will be completed by Jan. 1, he said. 

An all-turf field will replace the previous half-turf, half-grass field, said Joshua Kaplan, associate athletics director. Before renovations began last month, the Terps’ stadium was the only one in the Big Ten that lacked this consistent field composition, which improves player safety, he said.

The project serves as necessary “due diligence for our program,” Kaplan said. In addition to the new field, the stadium will also receive underground drainage, an upgraded bullpen and a better-looking outfield wall, according to a news release.  

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“We want to continue to be competitive in the landscape of the Big Ten Conference,” Bolno said. “This initiative is meant to enhance the overall experience for our student-athletes and provide an exciting atmosphere for Maryland baseball fans.”

Enthusiasm for this university’s baseball program has surged since the appointment of coach John Szefc four years ago, Bolno said. Under Szefc’s leadership, the Terps have advanced to the NCAA tournament’s Super Regional round in each of the past two seasons. The team had not appeared in the NCAA tournament since 1971.  

The team’s success under Szefc “has establish[ed] a winning culture … at the University of Maryland,” Athletic Director Kevin Anderson said. “He has led the Maryland baseball program to new heights and brought a renewed energy to our program.” 

Since Szefc’s hiring, the team has established a new school record for most wins in a season with 42 victories last year. The 2013 season marked the first 40-win season in school history. 

Consistent with the upward trend, a record-breaking eight Terps were selected in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.  

“He’s done a terrific job at building the program,” Bolno said. “What you’re seeing here is excitement for what Maryland baseball has become.”