USC's Field of Dreams

COLUMBIA — Ray Tanner is the happiest baseball guy in a baseball-savvy state.

"You can't do this without passion," the Gamecocks head baseball coach said, standing near home plate at spiffy new Carolina Stadium.

He proudly watched finishing touches applied as two dozen mitts popped to a steady preseason beat at the corner of Blossom and Williams streets, down by the Congaree River.

"You can't do it without fans," Tanner said.

The House That Gamecocks Faithful Built with bankable loyalty is a garnet carnival. The school tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 will officially unveil the 6,400-seat, $35.6 million facility with an open house. The season opener is Feb. 21 against Duquesne.

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New USC Baseball Stadium

University of South Carolina's new baseball stadium is almost complete in Columbia. The $35.6 million Carolina Stadium holds an open house today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The ballpark lineup is full of highlights:

• Dazzle in the leadoff spot. Forget Rickey Henderson. Enjoy immediate spark the first time you take in the red brick structure towering over chairback seats with a panoramic view of downtown Columbia over and around the Daktronics video scoreboard.

Ol' Sarge Frye Field had its charm, tradition and passing trains.

Carolina Stadium — the title until a naming-rights buyer comes along — is bigger and better. Bleachers and standing room space makes for a capacity of 9,000.

There are suites, picnic terraces and a Dining Deck.

• Staff ace. Tanner is the workhorse, taking the ball to deliver for the program at every opportunity. It's much easier now than when he arrived from N.C. State 12 seasons and three College World Series appearances ago.

"This has to be a player-friendly, fan-friendly environment," Tanner said. "I think we've accomplished that."

Mookie and Meyer

• Outfield. Or just beyond the fences. Inevitably, the metal bleachers over the left-field fence will take on unique character, and characters. Can't wait for Mike Morgan's radio call as lefty sluggers blast homers onto Williams Street.

• Infielders. Not sure how the Gamecocks will handle groundballs this season but fans will get a great view of each one of them from lines outside the large concessions stands along the wide concourses.

•Depth. Former head coaches Bobby Richardson and June Raines laid the foundation. Players responsible for tradition construction include Hank Small, Mookie Wilson, Mike Cook, Brian Williams, Kip Bouknight, Drew Meyer and a trio of 2008 Major League draftees from the Lowcountry, Mike Cisco, Reese Havens and Justin Smoak.

But while Tanner's recruiting has been excellent, he says the new ballpark allows South Carolina to attract better out-of-state talent.

"In the past, when we made contact with a lot of national players, we certainly could get their attention and we could even get them to visit," Tanner said. "But we didn't have the 'wow' factor. If a kid grows up in this state, there's some loyalty there, whether it's for us or for Clemson. It's sort of built in and a facility won't run them away. But when you're dealing with a national player, they don't have that loyalty."

• The bullpen. Bullpens, actually. They are easily seen through the respective outfield gaps.

• Bottom of the order. Underneath, the Gamecocks have four new batting tunnels, a weight room, offices and locker rooms.

Minor problem

As with most lineups early in the season, there are a few soft spots.

Like its football and basketball facilities, South Carolina's overdue new ballpark is not exactly on campus.

There is not enough parking adjacent to the turnstiles. Shuttles will help.

The place isn't paid for. Ideally for the city of Columbia and the school, a minor league franchise will relocate to Carolina Stadium soon to ease the financial burden and spread baseball fun throughout the summer.

But within the innings you are in your seat, this is a treat.

"We could have cut corners in this ballpark and made it a little bit smaller and maybe saved some money," Tanner said. "But that's not (athletic director) Eric Hyman's vision. His vision is 'You've got to make it as good as anybody else has got. ' "

These days, you can't knock the smile off Tanner's face with a fungo bat.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com or 937-5593.