| The 2005 season marks the 15th year for the Green Wave baseball team to
call Turchin Stadium home. Named for Robert and Lillian Turchin, Turchin
Stadium is one of the finest on-campus facilities in the nation and will
have a new look in the near future as the Tulane administration has
approved construction for a proposed 5,000-seat pro-style stadium
following the conclusion of the upcoming season.
The current field surface and lighting, as well as the Theresa Sofio
Hitting Facility, will remain intact, but the renovation project will
rebuild nearly every other area of the stadium. Suites, club seating, a
new press box, a cantilevered roof, new sound system and expanded
restrooms and concession areas are just some of the features of the
project, along with the new WOW Café & Wingery Suite in the right field
corner.
Construction on Phase One of the project, which began with the
relocation of a city water line last fall, continues this spring when
work will begin on the WOW Café. Phase Two of the project, which will
include completely tearing down the current stadium structure and
rebuilding it, is slated to be implemented at the conclusion of the 2005
season. All components are scheduled to be in place for the 2006 season.
Dedicated on the eve of March 11, 1991, Turchin Stadium has been a
comfortable place to play for the Green Wave as Tulane has a .772
winning percentage in games played within its friendly confines. Turchin
Stadium has played host to the 1992 Metro Conference Tournament as well
as the 1997 and 2003 C-USA Tournaments and the 2001 NCAA New Orleans
Regional. Home-field advantage came into play in all three tournaments
as the Green Wave won the 1992 and 2001 tournaments while advancing to
the semifinals in 1997 and the finals in 2003.
The grandstand, which currently has more than 300 chair-back seats and
backed benches, can hold in excess of 2,500 fans. Room also exists down
each foul line for a total seating capacity of 3,500.
Originally named Tulane Diamond and located about 100 feet south of its
current location, the Green Wave baseball team has played in the current
vicinity for more than 40 years. Up until 1985 the dimensions were 347
and 353 to the power alleys in left and right field, respectively. But
now, the park measures 325 down the lines, 370 to the power alleys and
400 feet to straight-away center. The fence is eight-feet high in right
and left field, and rises to 12 feet in centerfield.
Lights were added in 1991 with eight banks of between 22 and 30 lights
illuminating Turchin Stadium. Also new to the stadium in 1991 was the
addition of permanent seating, a luxury box, a press box and a
state-of-the-art computerized scoreboard.
The press box seats as many as 28 members of the media covering the
games, with two viewing levels, camera platforms and radio booths. The
Terrebonne Terrace luxury box above the first base dugout allows
die-hard fans an up-close spot for all of the action, and provides an
indoor, air-conditioned area complete with kitchenette ad restroom
facilities.
The most recent additions to Turchin Stadium are the Rock'n'Bowl Pen and
the Sofio Hitting Facility. Added in 1999, the Rock'n'Bowl Pen will have
a new look in 2005 but is still one of the best seats in the house with
a covered area where Tulane fans can enjoy the outdoor experience
without the full bear of the sun and other elements of the weather in
New Orleans.
The Theresa Sofio Hitting Facility, also known as the " Hack Shack," is
an indoor, ventilated building measuring 62-by-90 feet, and housing four
batting cages, two pitcher's mounds and tee toss area, as well as an
area for coaches to evaluate the student-athletes' progress. The area
can also be used for pregame warm-ups on wet gamedays.
Bob & Lilian Turchin
The stadium is named for Robert and Lillian Turchin of Miami, Fla., who
spearheaded the drive to build the facility in 1990. Mr. Turchin is a
member of the Intercollegiate Athletic Committee of Tulane's Board of
Administrators and is an emeritus member of the Tulane Board of
Administrators.
Turchin received his bachelor's degree in business administration in
1943 from Tulane where he played football and ran track, and was a
member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and the Navy ROTC. While in New
Orleans, he met Lillian Athey, a native of the Crescent City, and his
future wife. Their marriage plans were temporarily interrupted by World
War II when Bob spent two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. As a
gunnery and fire-control officer, he took part in the Normandy invasion,
and later served in the Pacific.
Following the war, the Turchins returned to Miami Beach, and Bob went to
work for his father in hotel management. He later became involved in the
construction of apartment units, and began his career as a general
contractor.
In 1949, he incorporated Robert L. Turchin, Inc., and for the next 36
years, he ran the company as its president and director.
Turchin served as city councilman of Miami Beach from 1963-65 and
vice-mayor of the city from 1965-67. He was also active in several civic
and community organizations.
Since his graduation from Tulane, Turchin has continued to show
extraordinary dedication to his alma mater, distinguishing himself as
one of the University's most loyal supporters. He has served on the
President's Council and the Dean's Advisory Council of the Business
School, and he has acted as chairman of the Tulane Alumni Regional Fund.
In 1983, Turchin was honored with the Business School's Distinguished
Alumnus Award for his generosity and support.
Four years later, to honor the Turchins for their ongoing philanthropy,
the new business library in Goldring/Woldenberg Hall was dedicated as
the Lillian A. and Robert L. Turchin Library.
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