Minium: $24 Million Makeover of ODU Baseball Stadium Has Begun

 

By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. – Although there hasn’t been a formal groundbreaking, work quietly began last month on the long-awaited renovation of Old Dominion University’s Bud Metheny Ballpark, and that is a huge deal for ODU baseball.

The new stadium will open in about a year and when it does, it will be rechristened the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex.

To understand just what a monumental upgrade this $24 million project will be, let’s take you back a year ago to when the Monarchs opened the season against George Washington.

It was 52 degrees at gametime on Feb. 16, but temperatures dipped into the 30s when the sun went down. That made the aluminum stands at the 42-year-old stadium feel as cold as ice and the few fans in the stands shivered with pillows and blankets.

Fast forward two years, and fans will be able to settle into 2,032 individual, chair-back seats that while not heated, will be comfortable.

In 2026, the stadium will offer an expansive hospitality area at ground level behind home plate, extending from the back of the stadium to the front. An outdoor lounge to sit and watch the game from behind home plate will be a new addition as well, similar to the Priority Automotive Club at S.B. Ballard Stadium.

 Dr. Wood Selig, director of athletics, will also have a small suite upstairs to entertain donors or other guests, and for the first time, ODU will have a field level suite available for donors to purchase.

Players dressed for the game a year ago in a locker room with worn wooden lockers crowded into an area not nearly large enough for all 40 players.

But next year, the Monarchs will dress in a spacious, well-lit room with individual lockers, all with players’ names in lights and plenty of storage. A lighted feature emblazed with the “OD” logo the baseball team has worn for decades will hang from the ceiling.

There will be an adjacent players’ lounge with couches, large-screen TVs, a refrigerator with snacks and room to relax.

“It will be light years better than what our players have now,” said Chris Finwood, ODU’s head coach. “We’ll be proud to show this to our recruits.”

There will be a state-of-the-art athletic training facility in the new stadium, which is a critical asset for ODU to host any future NCAA Tournament games, Rick French, senior associate athletic director and baseball stadium project liaison, said.

In 2026, there will be TV and radio booths, an area for the media, ODU staff, and other game workers. In all, there will be seats for 28 in this spacious area. The media space for writing press, broadcasting and radio is also a critical asset needed to host an NCAA Regional, French said.

The Paul Keyes Indoor Hitting Facility on the third-base side, and Rally Alley along the first base side, are recent additions to the stadium and will add to the ambiance of the stadium.

With standing room, the new stadium will be able to hold 2,500 people and temporary stands can be added to get that number to nearly 3,000 if needed, French said.

When Virginia comes to Norfolk, no longer will ODU host at Harbor Park. Instead, the Cavaliers will play on ODU’s campus.

ODU has not attracted particularly large crowds for baseball in recent years, and given the condition of The Bud, that’s not surprising.

“The interest in our baseball team runs deep in this community. I’m convinced we will draw substantial crowds to enjoy this first-class stadium experience,” Dr. Selig said. “After all, if you build it, they will come from what I have been told.”

The decision to renovate The Bud was made shortly after the 2021 team, one of the best in ODU history, was unable to host an NCAA Regional because the stadium did not meet NCAA standards.

ODU was one of the nation’s top 16 seeds after winning 10 of its last 11 games and beating Louisiana Tech on its home field for the Conference USA title.

Unfortunately, the Bud didn’t come close to meeting NCAA hosting standards.

The plight of that team galvanized a group of ODU alumni to campaign and pledge support for a new baseball stadium.

The effort was endorsed by incoming ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, PhD.

“When this stadium opens, we will be able to host NCAA Tournament regionals,” French said. “Throughout this process, we wanted to make sure we had every amenity we needed to host.”

Fan amenities were not sacrificed, French said.

The first part of the renovation actually occurred a year ago when ODU spent $650,000 to upgrade the stadium lights. It was deemed to be more cost effective and efficient to install the lights before demolition began.

Demolition began in early January and continues to pick up momentum. East Coast Demolition is tearing down portions of the stadium in preparation for the renovation, which should begin in early March.

The project has been a labor of love for French, who has worked with Finwood at ODU and Western Kentucky for much of two decades and is an ardent baseball fan. He also played key roles in the construction of S.B. Ballard Stadium and the new ODU Volleyball Center.

His office is covered with design books and his construction helmet and steel boots sit next to his desk.

“This has been a passion project for me,” he said. “I care for all of our sports, but this has definitely been a passion project.”

The renovation has forced the Monarchs to become road warriors this season. Although they continue to practice at The Bud, they can’t host games there during construction, and as a result, Finwood put together by far the most challenging schedule in ODU history.

ODU’s first 18 games are on the road, starting with a three-game set at Georgia Tech this weekend. ODU will also play three games at Auburn, a contest against Mississippi State in Biloxi, Mississippi, travel to traditional powerhouse rivals Virginia and East Carolina and make a rare cross-town trip to Norfolk State.

ODU hosts five, three-game Sun Belt Conference series against Georgia State, Troy,  Louisiana, Marshall and Coastal Carolina at sites to be determined – likely Norfolk’s Harbor Park and/or War Memorial Stadium in Hampton. ODU’s first “home” series comes March 21-23 against Georgia State

In all, the Monarchs will play 35 games on the road and 16 in Hampton Roads, including an April 15 game against VCU. Last season, 20 of ODU’s first 22 games were at home.

Finwood and the Monarchs had to vacate their offices and locker rooms in early January to make way for the demolition. They have relocated to an empty area in the Jim Jarrett Athletic Administration Building, where lockers from The Bud have been relocated.

Coaches sit at desks in an annex and Finwood has an “office” with faux walls that provides absolutely no privacy.

“I love it,” Finwood said of his office.

“The players have been awesome. I haven’t heard a single word of complaining. They know this is temporary, and where they will be playing next season, and that all they’re going through will be worth it.”

Renovating Bud Metheny Ballpark was an absolute must for ODU to remain competitive in the Sun Belt, said Dr. Selig.

The Sun Belt was fifth nationally in the NCAA RPI last season, behind the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten. The league has sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons, the most of any non-power league.

Coastal Carolina won the 2016 NCAA national championship, the last non-power school to do so.

“Simply put, the Sun Belt is a power league in baseball,” Selig said. “We had to renovate our stadium to give Coach Finwood the tools he needs to compete.

“Our goal isn’t just to host an NCAA Regional at our new stadium, it is to win the regional and go on to the College World Series.

“Since 2021, ODU’s average RPI is 48th out of 300 Division I baseball programs. That is the second best RPI over the last four years of all SBC baseball teams. ODU baseball has been a consistent winner under Coach Finwood.”

“It will be a first-class facility in every way,” he added. “We’re so grateful to Dennis Ellmer and all of our donors, to President Hemphill, and to everyone at the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation who helped raise money for this project.”

Stadium Design: Moseley Architects of Virginia Beach and Populous of Kansas City. Architectural and sports design groups that also designed ODU's two major sports facilities, S.B. Ballard Stadium and Chartway Arena.

Project Management: ODU Design and Construction (Michael Johnson, Director, Willie Arrington, Baseball Project Manager). Overseas all construction projects on campus.

Contractor: Balicore (Zachary Gillen, Superintendent, Ryan Collins, Project Manager. General contractor in charge of all construction on the new stadium.