Stadium due date draws near

Barber: Field will be ready for season opener, Feb. 22

Students returned for the spring semester to a change of scenery across from Green Hall. Construction workers have dedicated hours to finishing the new baseball stadium as soon as possible.

“Well, right now there is a lot of dirt being moved,” Athletic Director Jeff Barber said in an interview for Flames Sports Network. “I think we are making a new mountain over here and putting a stadium on top of it.”

New stadium — Construction is near completion in time for Liberty’s home opener. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby

Barber estimated that the new $5 million stadium should be finished and ready to be played in by Feb. 22, when Liberty hosts Penn State University.

“It will give us a stadium that we can compete with and recruit in, and it is obviously a big part in everything that we do,” Barber said.

The stadium will include 2,500 chair backed seats and additional grass seating along each sideline. The stadium will also include two suites, a club room and a picnic area. The stadium’s media space will accommodate up to 40 media members and will include a 24-seat press box.

The field itself will be equipped with the latest turf and feature major league style dugouts. The baseball offices and team room will also be in the facility overlooking the baseball field.

According to Barber, design ideas were pulled from existing stadiums at the University of South Carolina, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Barber explained that one of the main reasons for the new stadium would be to allow Liberty to host regionals and super-regionals.

“When you have an 18-year-old young man or lady coming into your campus to look at a sport, they want to know that you care about their sport and want to know that you are invested in it and committed to it,” Barber said. “So, when folks come in and see this stadium, they are going to know we are very serious about our baseball — just like we are with our other 19 sports.”

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