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South Carolina names its ballpark after longtime AD Ray Tanner, a two-time national champion
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South Carolina names its ballpark after longtime AD Ray Tanner, a two-time national champion

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina baseball will now be played at “Ray Tanner Field” in honor of the two-time College World Series-winning coach and outgoing athletic director.

The school announced the naming on Friday and said it would begin with the 2025 season. The stadium remains Founders Park after Founders Federal Credit Union extended naming rights to 2035 last month.

The school said a group of Gamecocks athletic donors contributed $2.5 million to name the field after Tanner; Tanner announced last month that he would step down as athletic director after 12 years after the school hired a replacement.

Tanner was the South Carolina baseball coach from 1997-2012. He went to six College World Series and won in 2010 and 2011. The Gamecocks finished second nationally in 2012, and Tanner became the school’s AD a few weeks later.

“This is a tremendous gesture from my friends and donors,” Tanner said in a statement. “I am grateful to them for their commitment to this project.”

Tanner hired former LSU national championship coach Paul Manieri last June to replace Mark Kingston, who was fired after seven seasons.

There will be a field dedication ceremony when South Carolina opens its baseball season in February.

South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner speaks to the crowd...

South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner speaks to the crowd at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. on April 8, 2024 Credit: AP/Joshua Boucher