Rylan Howe/KANSAN

The new scoreboard at Hoglund Ballpark was in operation last night for the Jayhawks’ game against the St. Mary’s Spires. A new feature of the scoreboard shows the recorded speed of each pitch. The Jayhawks beat the Spires 8-3.

The scenery is changing at Hoglund Ballpark this spring.

No, not because of the ESPN equipment trucks that will surround the area as Kansas prepares to face No. 1 Texas on national television this weekend.

Look to right field and see a change that represents something much bigger, something that gives tangible proof that Kansas baseball is traveling down a road much improved, said Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director of external affairs. By adding the 35-by-60-foot scoreboard in place of an older, much smaller model along with an indoor hitting facility, Kansas is making a statement.

“I think that both the hitting facility and the new scoreboard are long overdue,” Marchiony said. “I think it’s two steps closer now to where we want to be, as far as having a good facility that will help us recruit players. The kind of players coach Ritch [Price] needs to make strides in the Big 12.”

Not that the new equipment will make the Jayhawks College World Series champions overnight, but the new scoreboard brings an appeal that has been missing in recruiting visits.

High school and junior college recruits that would otherwise choose to play Kansas baseball are sometimes wooed by other Big 12 Conference schools, or in-state rivals like Wichita State, with better equipment and facilities.

“It’s all about recruiting,” coach Ritch Price said. “As our program improves, and if we are going to get better players and better pitching, we have to continue to improve our facility because they are so great in our conference.”

The portion of the scoreboard that is up and running includes an electric inning-by-inning scoreboard, a graphics board and full-color ads along the sides. Even with these additions, the structure looks incomplete. Beneath the Hoglund Ballpark lettering and above the electronic scoreboard and graphics board is a gaping hole, filled only with the steel bar frame. The opening is to allow space for a video board in the future. Funding will not allow for that addition to be made now.

“We built it so that we could go that route if we wanted to in the future,” Marchiony said. “There is no time table for that. It’s something we need to figure out as we go along.”

The total cost of the scoreboard is about $125,000 with an approximate $25,000 more for installation. After funding such a project, it may be a while before the video board is added.

“The scoreboard is like $125,000 and the hitting facility is $700,000,” Price said. “Lew Perkins picked up the tab for the scoreboard. Some of our boosters and alumni donated to pay for the hitting facility. Right now I think it is a gorgeous ballpark.”

Although the indoor hitting facility and scoreboard are being constructed at the same time, the two are completely unrelated projects, Marchiony said.

Scoreboard construction began in January after an unopposed decision that it was sorely needed at Hoglund Ballpark. The plans were set so the project to be completed in time for the Texas series this weekend, a series that will be televised on ESPN and ESPNU.

“It wasn’t really a difficult decision to know that it needed to be upgraded,” Marchiony said. “All we needed to do was look at the scoreboard itself. Its shortcomings were painfully obvious.”

Making good time, the scoreboard was up and running last weekend and made its debut as the Jayhawks defeated the Kansas State Wildcats.

Making vast improvements to the scoreboard after only a year and a half with the previous one shows how committed Kansas is to making its baseball program one to be reckoned with, Marchiony said.

“It speaks to our commitment and desire for all sports here to be competitive, in the Big 12 and nationally,” he said. “We’re very pleased with the progress that Ritch is making. We are going to attempt to do anything we can do to help him improve the program even more.”