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. [Old Dominion University]
Brandie Murrish was positively beaming on Tuesday night, her eyes as bright as her smile as she soaked in the view and vibes of what surrounded her. She explained the euphoria like this: “It feels like Christmas!”
The longtime Sierra College women’s basketball coach was ecstatic not because she has her powerhouse program in the playoffs for the 32nd consecutive season, a remarkable feat of its own. Her glee is deeper than that, and on this night, it was shared by scores of school faculty, administrators, students and alums, some in their 80s, who squeezed into crammed quarters for an up-close peek of the now merging with the future.
The 60-year old Placer County community college campus in Rocklin has a sparkling gem of a gymnasium to use, and to show off. The grand opening for the 81,000 square-foot venue proved to be a festive scene with kids waving large foam claws to match the school’s Wolverines mascot. The fun started a good 90 minutes before the games started and lasted throughout the night and during a double-header with Sierra College hosting the women and men’s teams of Santa Rosa in a Big 8 Conference contest. [The Sacramento Bee]
Architecture studio Gensler has unveiled its design for an undulating stadium outside Cairo, which will be the first home for the Al-Ahly football club.
Collaborating with engineering firm Buro Happold and the football team's investor El Qalaa El Hamraa, the 42,000-seat stadium will feature a curving asymmetric facade and a sunken football pitch.
Designed as a landmark building for the wider Al-Ahly Club Sports City masterplan, it will be the first home stadium for Egpyt's top-tier Al-Ahly club and is set to host other large-scale events throughout the year. [dezeen]
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