When the news broke that Cabrini University would be closing at the end of the 2024 season, the minds of some in the Archbishop Carroll community went straight toward Carroll’s baseball field.
For the last decade, Carroll has shared the on-campus baseball field with Cabrini, which built the field in an agreement that allowed Cabrini to host their home games on Carroll’s campus. Now that Villanova University is buying Cabrini, there are questions surrounding what may happen to the field.
“We’re still in the process of working it all out,” said Athletic Director Tom Quintois. “There are discussions going on with Villanova but nothing else has gone anywhere at this time.”
The baseball field has been a huge addition to the Carroll athletics scene, allowing the Pats to hold many games that otherwise wouldn’t be able to be held under normal circumstances on a grass field.
“Having the turf is a huge advantage for us,” said Carroll baseball head coach Jonathan Grosse. “It allows us to practice and play 12 months a year. Even when we get a bunch of rain or it is raining in the morning, we are able to get in there once it stops.”
Villanova, which will become the de facto owner of the field, holds its practices on campus or at its stadium in Plymouth Meeting. That stadium, which opened in 2003, has stood the test of time for the Wildcats, a Division One program.