In a move toward a new ballpark, Marshall University announced on Friday that it has hired an architect to design the facility.
There have been discussions off and on over the years about building a new Marshall baseball facility, and the current plan appears to have some momentum. The ballpark would be constructed at the Flint Group Pigments Plant property, and officials have previously discussed it as a potential anchor in larger redevelopment concept in Huntington, WV.
Planning for the new facility took a step forward on Friday, when Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick announced that an architect has been hired to design the ballpark. The name of the architect was not revealed publicly, but the announcement nonetheless signaled a move forward for the project. More from The Herald-Dispatch:
Hamrick announced the ballpark plans to more than 75 former Thundering Herd baseball players during a meeting in the Big Green Room of Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
“I know you’ve heard this before, but you’ve never heard it from me before,” Hamrick said before announcing an architect had been hired.
Hamrick didn’t divulge to the media the name of the architect, but displayed photographs of where the stadium will be located, at the Flint Group Pigments Plant property, formerly BASF, 2401 5th Ave. The property was recently purchased for $1.2 million.
A new ballpark would certainly provide a boost to Marshall’s baseball program, which has traditionally used several different facilities over the course of a season for baseball home games. That includes George T. Smailes Field at the YMCA Kennedy Center, Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, and Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, home of the West Virginia Power (Low A; Sally League).
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