University of Florida Ushers in New Era of Baseball Excellence With Florida Ballpark Daktronics has supplied a right-field videoboard, ribbon boards, Show Control system By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Monday, March 8, 2021 - 1:26 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
It's the dawn of a new age of collegiate baseball in Gainesville, FL. The University of Florida opened its 2021 campaign and the new Florida Ballpark with a win over intrastate rival Miami 2 weeks ago. The $65 million stadium, built with the latest video amenities by Daktronics, is more than fitting for a program that has become a perennial contender in the SEC and in the nation.
It doesn't matter if you're there in the morning, the afternoon, or the evening, it's impressive and has this aura, says John Gandy, associate director, marketing, University of Florida. We're fortunate to have another premiere facility where we can provide a high-quality and positive student-athlete experience.
A Pandemic Project: Construction Completed in Summer 2020 The venue has garnered much attention since its opening, but the project was originally discussed and conceived at the midway point of the 2010s. Through a diligent partnership between the institution's administration and athletics, the proposed plan was to erect the building on a parcel of land controlled by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). Led by Assistant Athletics Director, Facilities, Bill Smith and IFAS VP Jeanna Mastrodicasa and Director, Facilities Planning and Operations, Kevin Heinicka, the two parties were able to pinpoint a 13.63-acre site for a blueprint that would materialize in March 2018.
The university held a groundbreaking ceremony in February 2019.
When we started thinking about doing this five years ago, Jeanna and Kevin approached us about a piece of land that they wanted to convert for different types of research, says Chip Howard, executive associate athletics director, internal affairs, University of Florida. They're both big baseball fans and understood what we were trying to do, so this partnership really got the ball rolling.
Dignitaries and high-ranking officials kickstarted the construction with a ground-breaking ceremony in February 2019. Aided by designer Populous and general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, construction moved along without a hitch throughout most of that year, including installation of the 30- by 50-ft. videoboard in right field in April and the multiple ribbon boards in May. A majority of the build was completed prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, but the crew still needed to add some finishing touches after the remainder of the baseball season was postponed. With a little more time on their hands, the university and Brasfield & Gorrie operated with extreme caution and safety to refine any details.
We still had close to 200 onsite workers when the pandemic hit, Howard explains. We were able to stagger our crews, so there were no overlaps or multiple vendors working inside a single area. It granted us more flexibility to finish the project on a bit slower but safer pace since most of the construction was in an outdoor space.
The Florida Ballpark sign was installed atop the 30- by 50-ft. Daktronics videoboard in September.
After the brick and mortar were laid down, the technological team went to work on getting the stadium online with its control rooms in the College of Journalism and Communications' Weimer Hall. This portion of the process hit a few hiccups due to the pandemic's impact on shipping gear from across the country.
Whether it was coming from overseas or from within the country, adds Howard, there were some delays in equipment being shipped. Some of the gear backlogged or completely stopped shipping for about six months. Those were the last components that we put together before the opener in February 2021.
At the same time, at the beginning of January 2021, the facilities crew began work on an entirely new project for another high-profile program: Florida Gators football. To start that endeavor, the team needed to wait until the demolition of the baseball team's former home of 31 years, Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.
We had to complete this new baseball facility before we could demolish McKethan Stadium and start our football project, he notes. Even though we didn't have a hard deadline for completion, we did have the deadline to get the baseball staff in so that we could demolish the old property.
Lighting Up the Swamp: Daktronics Provides Video, In-Venue Firepower The venue's crown jewel, the Daktronics videoboard is configured for multiple uses throughout a game. From traditional lineups and statistics to sponsorship implemented in an engaging way, fans are treated to a well-rounded presentation with the help of the Daktronics DMP-8000 digital media player and Show Control system.
A LED ribbon board runs from first base to third base behind home plate.
[The videoboard] is wired through fiber to our two control rooms, Gandy explains. We have the ability to produce the linear show on SEC Network and the videoboard component [from Weimer Hall].
Associate Athletics Director Alicia Longworth, Gandy, and the rest of the production team are experimenting with different layouts on the new LED display, including wide video output (1,056 x 441 pixels), home and visiting lineup (160 x 441 pixels each), player headshots (896 x 441 pixels), two areas for sponsorship (160 x 159 pixels each), balls/strikes/outs and line score (736 x 110 pixels), and clock (150 x 49 pixels). With the Daktronics Scoring-Timing Interface (DSTI), real-time information can be updated and accurate during the game. Since the baseball team is always in the hunt for the College World Series in Omaha, NE, the v
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
University of Florida Ushers in New Era of Baseball Excellence With Florida Ballpark Daktronics has supplied a right-field videoboard, ribbon boards, Show Control system By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
