Stadium progresses

With the start of the baseball season less than three months away, the construction of Liberty University’s new ballpark is slated to be completed in time for the Flames’ 2013 home opener Feb. 22.

Taking shape — Liberty’s new ballpark is near completion. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby

“With the athletic expansion, one of our goals was to have a nationally-prominent, known athletic program,” Executive Vice President Neal Askew said. “We think (the new stadium) is another step into that direction in securing that goal.”

The new stadium, which will accommodate approximately 2,500 people with covered seating, will compete with any stadium on the East Coast, according to Askew.

Unlike the current baseball stadium’s bench-style seating, it will feature individual seating. The new stadium will also offer seating down the third base line as well as suites and four indoor batting cages. The current stadium has only two cages.

The recommendation for the new baseball stadium came from Carr Sports Associates, the company that is conducting Liberty’s Football Bowl Subdivision feasibility study.

“They gave us a list of things that would make us more attractive to an FBS conference,” Askew said. “One of the things that they gave us was that a new baseball facility would totally go a long way with showing our potential.”

The field will feature an artificial surface, enhancing the play on the field and making maintenance and grounds keeping easier.

“The field itself is an artificial surface. In this region, it’s very important,” Charles Spence, director of planning and construction, said. “Even in a dead rain, they can practice on the field. The water goes straight through with it being an artificial surface. It’s state of the art.”

Liberty will begin the 2013 season against Penn State for its home opener in February. While the stadium will be ready for play, it will only feature “the bare essentials of playing the game,” according to Spence.

“On schedule is to be able to play a game on February the 22nd,” Spence said. “By no means will the facility be 100 percent complete. What it means is the field will be able to be played on and the seating will be there. There will be a lot of areas including the Baseball Operations Center, the offices and the suites (that) will not be totally built. There will still be sidewalks, landscaping and beautification things (to be completed). … We’ll have seats, lights, scoreboard and a field.”

According to Spence and Askew, the transition should be seamless for the players, because the current stadium will still be available for locker rooms, batting cages and more.

The new field allows for the possibility of more tournament play, which was not possible at the old ones.

Liberty has made it possible to see the progress of the stadium through its live camera view and its time lapse video, both of which are available on the Flames’ site,
libertyflames.com.

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