Coastal Carolina University will have an upgraded ballpark for the 2014 season, as $10.2 million in state funding for a new baseball/softball complex is finalized.
The preliminary plan is to start construction on both facilities after the 2012 season, with both the Coastal softball and baseball teams playing their home games at other local venues for the 2013 season before returning to their new confines in 2014.
The renovations will keep the current playing surfaces intact while building new grandstands, restrooms, concessions stands, coaches offices, student-athlete locker rooms and lounges, team meeting space, scoreboards, video instruction system, athletic training rooms, laundry facilities, premium fan areas and media areas. The baseball and softball renovations will also make Coastal Carolina fully compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
The 33,000-square-foot baseball project expands the 850-seat Watson Stadium to include 2,500 permanent seats, with the potential to accommodate between 5,000-6,000 for events like an NCAA postseason tournament. The current configuration will accommodate the extra 3,000-plus fans as a result of grass berms down the right and left field lines and a boardwalk around the outfield wall.
"This facility will have some of the best components from the top collegiate and minor league baseball stadiums in addition to having our own unique features," said CCU head baseball coach Gary Gilmore. "To have the indoor facility complete and know that we will be playing in one of the finest stadiums in the country by 2014 will truly make Coastal Carolina one of the premier destinations for a college student-athlete.
"We will now have all the amenities college players are looking for in order to maximize their potential and realize their goal; playing in Omaha. I am very excited to see what this program can achieve, combining our tradition with what we will have in terms of facilities."
Coastal Carolina is traditionally a power in college baseball, picked this season to win the Big South.
Renderings courtesy of Coastal Carolina University.
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