Monongalia County Ballpark

Monongalia County Ballpark
Location 2040 Gyorko Drive
Granville, WV 26534
Coordinates 39°38′41″N 79°59′45″W / 39.64473°N 79.995838°W / 39.64473; -79.995838Coordinates: 39°38′41″N 79°59′45″W / 39.64473°N 79.995838°W / 39.64473; -79.995838
Owner Monongalia County[1]
Operator West Virginia University[1]
Capacity 3,500 [2]
Record attendance 3,110
April 10, 2015 vs. Butler[3]
Field size Foul Lines: 325 feet
Power Alleys: 375 feet
Center Field: 400 feet
Surface Synthetic Turf
Construction
Broke ground October 17, 2013
Opened April 10, 2015
Construction cost US$25 million
Architect Populous[4]
DLA Architecture[4]
Structural engineer Allegheny Design Services[5]
Services engineer M–E Engineers, Inc.
General contractor Mascaro Construction[1]
Tenants
West Virginia Black Bears (NYPL) (2015–present)
West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA) (2015–present)

Monongalia County Ballpark is a baseball stadium in Granville, West Virginia. The stadium, opened April 10, 2015, is the home of the baseball team of West Virginia University (WVU), a member of the Big 12 Conference, and the West Virginia Black Bears of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League.

Construction

Plans were announced to build a new stadium for the West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team in 2013.[6] Ground was broken for the new ballpark at University Town Centre, an off-campus shopping and entertainment complex in Granville, adjacent to WVU's home city of Morgantown, on October 17, 2013. The ballpark will be a fan friendly design with 2,500 fixed seats with additional hillside and club seating, a fan amenity deck, and a park that will be open year-round.[7] The field will be a synthetic surface, other than the clay pitcher's mound.[8] In August 2014, the Jamestown Jammers of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball, announced that they would move to West Virginia, taking the name "West Virginia Black Bears", and use Monongalia County Ballpark as their home stadium.[9][10]

As a result of inclement weather in February 2015, the scheduled opening of the stadium was pushed back to April 10, 2015.[11][12]

Attendance

In 2015, the Mountaineers ranked 39th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,801 per home game.

Milestones and facts

AchievementRecord
Largest Attendance3,110 – April 10, 2015 (vs Butler)*[3]
Overall Record in Facility28-20*
Big 12 Record in Facility12-12*
Record vs. Ranked Opponents5-6*
Record vs. State Opponents2-0*
1st Game(April 10, 2015 vs. Butler)
1st Night Game(April 10, 2015 vs. Butler)
1st Win6-5 (13 innings) (April 10, 2015 vs. Butler)
1st Loss5-3 (April 14, 2015 vs. Penn State)
1st Big 12 Win6-5 (April 18, 2015 vs. #23 Oklahoma)
1st Win over Ranked Team6-5 (April 18, 2015 vs. #23 Oklahoma)
*As of the 2016 season

Awards

In the ballpark's inaugural season, it was named the best short season Single A ballpark in the country according to BallparkDigest.com.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dovey, Grant (January 29, 2014). "More Ballpark Details Emerge". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Monongalia County Ballpark". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Dovey, Grant (April 10, 2015). "Baseball Opens New Ballpark with Walk-off Win". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Muret, Don (September 8, 2014). "Under Construction: Reviewing the Building Plans". SportsBusiness Journal. p. 22. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  5. ↑ Howell, Michael (February 17, 2015). "Athletic Facilities: Structural Part of Mon County Field Near Completion". Allegheny Design Services. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  6. ↑ "WVU Board Approves Land Buy for Baseball Stadium". WBOY. Morgantown. Associated Press. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  7. ↑ "New Ballpark". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ Dovey, Grant (August 21, 2014). "New Ballpark Construction Update". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ Vingle, Mitch (August 23, 2014). "Morgantown Lands NY-Penn League Baseball Team". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ "New NYPL club to be called the Black Bears". Minor League Baseball. October 22, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  11. ↑ Fragale, Michael (March 5, 2015). "Inclement Weather Delays Scheduled WVU Ballpark Opening". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ Cassazza, Mike (April 9, 2015). "Wind, Outfield Walls Among Quirks of Monongalia County Ballpark". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  13. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Jack. "Monongalia County Ballpark Voted the Best in Short-Season Single A". WBOY. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
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