Facility Friday: Mississippi State Softball, Charlotte 49ers, Virginia Football Operations Center

On the cusp of hosting its first NCAA softball super regional, Mississippi State announced a new project off the field.

Mississippi State will start construction in June on a 12,000-square foot, $7 million indoor softball facility to replace the current one down the left field line of Nusz Park. Construction will be completed next summer. [Clarion Ledger]

The Charlotte 49ers are making massive changes to their athletics facilities over the next 12-15 years.

• A new softball clubhouse

• A new stadium for men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s lacrosse

• A baseball clubhouse

• Renovating men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms

The university unveiled its EverGreen Athletics Facilities Master Vision— a multiphase and multimillion-dollar plan that serves all athletes— from football players to the school’s new women’s lacrosse program.

What’s happening: Phase I, a $102 million plan, includes expanding their football stadium’s capacity from less than 16,000 to more than 30,000. The stadium will gradually expand, starting at around 21,000 before surpassing 30,000. Other parts of Phase I include:

• A new softball clubhouse
• A new stadium for men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s lacrosse
• A baseball clubhouse
• Renovating men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms

[Axios Charolette] 

Virginia is set to break ground on its new football operations center in a ceremony on June 2nd at 5pm on the turf field in between the McCue Center and the George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility, per a release on Friday morning. 

Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams announced that construction of the new football facility would begin soon during the ACC Network's broadcast of the Virginia football Blue-White Game on April 23rd. “We start in just a couple of weeks with the construction on the new football operations center," Williams said on the broadcast. "It’s going to be great for our program, great for our players. So a lot of great things happening.” [SI.com]