The stadium facility is named for Alfred A. McKethan, a University of Florida alumnus and successful Florida banker, businessman and politician who contributed significant funds for the reconstruction and expansion of the stadium. McKethan donated nearly three million dollars for the reconstruction and improvement of the stadium in the 1980s and 1990s. The playing field is named for Carl E. "Tootie" Perry, a former Florida Gators football player who was the Gators' first All-Southern selection in 1920 and 1921 and team captain in 1921. Perry's family formerly owned the land on which the baseball stadium was built, and donated the land to the university.
Facilities
The current stadium facility is a concrete structure that seats approximately 5,500 fans, and includes a press box, concession stands, locker rooms for the Gators and visiting teams, and coaching staff offices. The University Athletic Association rebuilt the press box in 1996, added bleachers on the left field line and behind the left field fence in 1997, and added another 1,000 seats down the left baseline and upgraded to the locker rooms and baseball offices in 2007. The stadium is lighted for night games and features a natural grass and clay playing surface.
Attendance
In 2013, the Gators ranked tenth among Division I baseball programs in total attendance with 126,421 persons attending 36 games, and ranked 12th in average attendance with 3,511 persons per home game. The record for highest attendance in a single game at McKethan Stadium was set on April 9, 2016; a total of 6,244 fans watched the Gators lose game 2 of a 3-game series to Mississippi State, 10-4.
Future Stadium
On October 9, 2017, it was reported that The University Athletic Association had submitted a project plan to the University of Florida outlining a new baseball stadium that is expected to be completed by the middle of 2020. Construction is expected to begin in August 2018 and the expected price tag sits at an estimated $50 million. According to the plan, the new stadium will increase chairbacks from 2,408 to approximately 5,000 with a stadium capacity of 10,000 and have a 360-degree concourse, shade canopy and open air seated grandstand. The new facility will be located on the Southwest part of campus utilizing of land previously occupied by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. UF/IFAS facilities on this property will be relocated to a different part of campus nearby.
