With Opening Day just months away, the Fredericksburg Nationals (High A; Carolina League) say that their currently under-construction ballpark is on track for a scheduled April 23 debut.
The former Potomac Nationals are making the move to Fredericksburg, VA, where a new ballpark is currently under construction. The team is scheduled to play its home opener at the facility on Thursday, April 23 against the Frederick Keys and the ballpark is on track to be ready by that date, according to team vice present and general manager Nick Hall.
At this point in the construction process, the seating bowl is close to being completed, while good weather conditions thus far have allowed work on the project to move along. More from MASNSports.com:
The FredNats broke ground on the site for the new ballpark on Feb. 24, 2019. Executive vice present and general manager Nick Hall said the stadium footprint has been set for months and the exterior walls and seating area are well under construction.
“The seating bowl should actually be finished by the end of next week,” Hall said. “We are pretty excited for that. They are plugging along. We are picking out door frames as early as this week. They are definitely ahead of schedule right now. It is something we are really excited for.”
The Falls Church-based L.F. Jennings Inc. heads the construction, under the direction of Peter Kirk. Kirk has helped to build more than a dozen minor league stadiums, and he and the contractors “all have experience of building baseball stadiums pretty quickly,” Hall said. The weather has also cooperated.
Technically, the team holds a lease on Pfitzner Stadium that could allow it to return there for home games if necessary, though that would only be needed if the construction falls off schedule. The ballpark project is estimated to cost between $35-$40 million and will be privately financed by team owner Art Silber and his family, with the city making an annual payment of $1.05 million to the team for 30 years as an anchor tenant.
Photo by Max Aerial Imagery, dated January 5, courtesy Fredericksburg Nationals.
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