Grand Canyon University celebrated a milestone on Friday, when it debuted the results of a major overhaul to Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark.
Leading up to the 2018 season, GCU worked to improve its baseball facility. Technically, the project marked a major renovation job at an existing venue, but it’s basically a new ballpark for a program that has been on the rise in recent years, moving up to Division I in 2013 and joining the WAC. The overhauled Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark includes covered chairback seats wrapping around the infield and behind home plate as well as grass-berm seating down the first-base side. The first level of the ballpark now features bowl seating, an enclosed press box with two broadcast booths, team store and concession space.
A milestone for the facility took place on Friday, when the baseball program played its first game at the ballpark since the project was completed. Early indications are that the end results of the overhaul to Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark are receiving positive reviews, with both the player and fan experiences improved by the latest changes. More from The Arizona Republic:
Andy Stankiewicz, who has led the Antelopes in their NCAA Division I era, is happy how the stadium renovations turned out.
“We talked a little bit about the fan experience, trying to get the fans as close to the ballpark as we could,” Stankiewicz said. “That was important to President (Brian) Mueller, as well.”
The stadium can seat about 4,000 fans, including the grass areas.
The dugouts on both sides are spacious.
The work completed at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark is among the slate of new and/or renovated college baseball facilities that are either debuting this spring, or are currently in the works for future seasons. Our own Kevin Reichard took a look at those projects in a recent story.
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