Workers tend to the new baseball field at Ceraland that will be used by IUPUC beginning this spring.
Submitted photo
When IUPUC announced that it was starting an athletics program, the one big question was, “Where are they going to play?”
Ever since then, the Crimson Pride has gone about establishing venues for the teams it will field, and in the past week, those venues have come into clearer focus. The IUPUC volleyball team will play at Ceraland, and the men’s and women’s soccer teams will play at the BCSC Soccer Complex beginning this fall.
“People are stepping up for us,” IUPUC athletics director Zach McClellan said. “We’re guests at these places, but they’re all willing to work with us. That’s one of the great things about Columbus. They’re embracing these new opportunities.”
The Crimson Pride debuted its intercollegate athletics program with a few cross-country runners in the fall. The baseball and softball teams will begin this spring, with home games being played at Ceraland.
IUPUC built a brand-new field at Ceraland for baseball and is hoping it will be ready for play when games begin.
“There’s still some work to be done, but it’s really close,” McClellan said. “We’re hoping by the end of March of first of April, we can be playing games out there. It’s becoming more of a reality every day. By midseason, we’re going to be gold out there.”
IUPUC softball will use an upgraded field at Ceraland beginning this spring.
Submitted photo
One of the existing fields at Ceraland has been modified for use for the softball games. Volleyball games will be played in one of the two gyms at Cerlaland, with seats on lower level and additional seating available around the track that serves as a balcony.
“It’s a small-capacity gym out there, but when you’re at a small college, those are the experiences you’ll remember,” McClellan said. “We really want to have a collegiate environment where the home teams and collegiate teams can field. We feel that having a gym that’s smaller can have that environment.”
The Crimson Pride soccer teams will practice mostly at Parkside Elementary and the Wigh Complex, which, like the BCSC Soccer Complex, are within short walking distance of campus.
“We have a lot of options for practices and games because of the relationships that we have here in Columbus,” McClellan said. “It’s an advantage for multiple reasons on the soccer side because with a lot of our kids living at the annex, there will be a vibe on soccer days. Also from practice purposes, there will be little driving for the players. So we’re thankful to BCSC and to Parks and Rec.”
Meanwhile, IUPUC is hoping to start a men’s and women’s basketball program by the 2024-25 season. McClellan said he is investigating all options for venues for basketball, including the new Nexus Park location.
“Basketball is something that’s deeply important to IUPUC and to me personally because we’re in Indiana, a basketball state, and it’s hard to justify having an athletics program without a men’s and women’s basketball program, so we’re working diligently to make that happen,” McClellan said. “It’s not a done deal yet. Conversations are going on.”
McClellan said the Crimson Pride has 10 verbal commitments for men’s soccer and eight for women’s soccer and volleyball. IUPUC plans to host an ID camp showcase for men’s and women’s soccer on Feb. 25 at the BCSC Soccer Complex.
The baseball and softball teams will play as an independent in the Continental Conference this spring. The Crimson Pride will join the River States Conference starting in the fall and will be able to compete for NAIA championships in all sports beginning in the 2023-24 school year.
IUPUC applied for and was granted membership into the NAIA last April and plans to apply for full NAIA membership this summer.
“Anytime you start in the NAIA, you have to prove you can deliver,” McClellan said. “Now the next step is to get full membership. The reality is, we toured (NAIA officials) through these facilities when they showed up last spring. Since we didn’t have the teams yet established, this starts solidifying the process. It’s helped solidify our program. It’s helped solidify our campus.
“It would be extremely difficult without the support in our city to do what we’re doing,” he added. “The student-athletes feel a difference. I feel if we continue to stick to our plan and grow, we’ll have the competitive teams we want here in Columbus. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
