Renovation underway for Husky Ballpark

Jun 4, 2013, 12:00 AM

When the Washington baseball team beat Arizona State on May 26, it marked the end of a rollercoaster season in which the Huskies went from last place in the conference to a team fighting with the Pac-12’s best. As it heads into the offseason, the entire baseball program will embark on that same journey again, just in a different way. After 15 seasons in the current version of Husky Ballpark, the UW’s home field will be transformed this offseason as part of a $19 million renovation of the entire baseball facility. The field is expected to be ready by Feb. 28, 2014, when the Huskies are scheduled to christen the ballpark against UC Davis. Husky Ballpark was originally completed in 1998, and it was expected to be the UW’s temporary home until the completion of the new ballpark. Now, 15 years later, after numerous projects on multiple athletic facilities, it is finally the baseball program’s turn. “It finishes off the mindset that we have a home, that this is our ballpark,” head coach Lindsay Meggs said. “It completes the mindset that we have some swagger, and it’s going to change the whole confidence level of our team.” The project will include major improvements for fans, including a permanent concourse to go with the approximately 2,500 seats that will be put in. After years of having minimal comforts at Husky Ballpark, fans will be treated to concessions, bathrooms, new benches with seat backs, and a team shop specific to the baseball team. Third baseman Andrew Ely, who hit .338 as a sophomore this past season, thinks the new stadium will be able to help the Huskies attract a consistent fan base. “We are excited to get some more fans out here,” Ely said. “The field will probably be similar to what it is, but everything else will be way better, and we’re really looking forward to it.” In addition, there will be significant upgrades for players and coaches. The entire playing surface will be taken out and replaced with an all-turf field. Only the mound will not be turf. Also, the Wayne Gittinger Baseball Team Building, completed in March 2012, will be connected to the concourse so the team can enter the dugout directly from its locker room inside the building. Dan Gaston, assistant athletic director for events and facilities, was originally named project manager on the Gittinger Team Building a year and a half ago. After completion of the building, Gaston was named project manager for the stadium as well. “It is essentially turning what is, right now, kind of less than ideal conditions, into a really good-looking facility,” Gaston said. “From a player’s standpoint, you see actual stands around you with brand new dugouts. It’s going to be pretty cool.” Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12

Stay up to Date

Subscribe to our weekly newsletters covering the news, arts, and sports.

Renovation underway for Husky Ballpark

Disruptor interrupts Psych 210, professor and students chase man on to Red Square

2025 Seattle and King County primary election endorsements

UW mechanical engineering students are now required to pay $250 quarterly fee to participate in department-affiliated RSOs

College Inn Pub reopens under new ownership