The University of Minnesota's Board of Regents Facilities Committee voted and approved the first step in replacing 41-year-old Siebert Field. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m. at Siebert.

"It's obviously a very exciting time for the Golden Gopher baseball program," head coach John Anderson said in a release. "It's something we've been putting together for many years and it's time to plan for the future."

Construction on the 1,400-seat facility is scheduled to begin June 18. By July, the University expects to have the current Siebert Field demolished. The new field will have synthetic turf and is expected to be completed by December.

The University's plan for "Phase 1" includes provisions that will allow for future expansion, like additional seating, locker rooms and a training facility. The new field is expected to cost a little more than $7 million in its first stage.

The current Siebert Field was constructed in 1971 and has plagued the Gophers baseball program since the early 2000s. For the past decade, the Gophers have had to play their home games intermittently off-campus at the Metrodome or Target Field.

"Everybody's got new facilities in our league," Anderson told the Minnesota Daily in February. "In our region of the country it's also impacting recruiting."

