Monongalia County Ballpark
Baseball park in Granville, West Virginia
Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark is a baseball stadium in Granville, West Virginia . The stadium, opened April 10, 2015, is the home of the baseball team of West Virginia University (WVU), a member of the Big 12 Conference , and the West Virginia Black Bears , a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League .
Construction
Plans were announced to build a new stadium for the West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team in 2013.[ 5] Ground was broken for the new ballpark at University Town Centre, an off-campus shopping and entertainment complex in Granville, adjacent to WVU's home city of Morgantown , on October 17, 2013. The ballpark has 2,500 fixed seats with additional hillside and club seating, a fan amenity deck, and a park that is open year-round.[ 6] The field has a synthetic surface, other than the clay pitcher's mound.[ 7]
In August 2014, the Jamestown Jammers of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League , a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball , announced that they would move to West Virginia, taking the name "West Virginia Black Bears ", and use Monongalia County Ballpark as their home stadium.[ 8] [ 9] The Black Bears were affiliated with the Pirates from their inception until MLB's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season. They then became a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League .[ 10]
A panoramic view of the stadium as seen from the third base line.
As a result of inclement weather in February 2015, the scheduled opening of the stadium was pushed back to April 10, 2015.[ 11] [ 12]
Attendance
In 2015, the Mountaineers ranked 39th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,801 per home game.[citation needed ]
Milestones
Achievement
Record
Largest Attendance
4,614
April 26, 2024, vs. Pittsburgh [ 13]
Overall Record in Facility
145-73*
Big 12 Record in Facility
62-49*
Record vs. Ranked Opponents
19-21*
Record vs. State Opponents
9-0*
1st Game
(April 10, 2015 vs. Butler )
1st Night Game
(April 10, 2015 vs. Butler )
1st Win
6-5 (13 innings) (April 10, 2015 vs. Butler )
1st Loss
5-3 (April 14, 2015 vs. Penn State )
1st Big 12 Win
6-5 (April 18, 2015 vs. #23 Oklahoma )
1st Win over Ranked Team
6-5 (April 18, 2015 vs. #23 Oklahoma )
1st Regional Hosted
May 31, 2019, vs. Fordham
*As of the 2024 season
Awards
In the ballpark's inaugural season, it was named the best short season Single A ballpark in the country according to BallparkDigest.com.[ 14]
See also
References
^ a b c Dovey, Grant (January 29, 2014). "More Ballpark Details Emerge" . West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .
^ a b Muret, Don (September 8, 2014). "Under Construction: Reviewing the Building Plans" . SportsBusiness Journal . p. 22. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .
^ Howell, Michael (February 17, 2015). "Athletic Facilities: Structural Part of Mon County Field Near Completion" . Allegheny Design Services. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .
^ "Monongalia County Ballpark" . Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 26, 2015 .
^ "WVU Board Approves Land Buy for Baseball Stadium" . WBOY . Morgantown. Associated Press. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013 .
^ "New Ballpark" . West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014 .
^ Dovey, Grant (August 21, 2014). "New Ballpark Construction Update" . West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved August 21, 2014 .
^ Vingle, Mitch (August 23, 2014). "Morgantown Lands NY-Penn League Baseball Team" . The Charleston Gazette . Retrieved August 25, 2014 .
^ "New NYPL club to be called the Black Bears" . Minor League Baseball. October 22, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2015 .
^ "Black Bears retain affiliation with MLB, are founding member of Major League Baseball Draft League" . West Virginia Black Bears . Minor League Baseball. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020 .
^ Fragale, Michael (March 5, 2015). "Inclement Weather Delays Scheduled WVU Ballpark Opening" . West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .
^ Cassazza, Mike (April 9, 2015). "Wind, Outfield Walls Among Quirks of Monongalia County Ballpark" . Charleston Daily Mail . Retrieved April 15, 2015 .
^ Dovey, Grant (April 10, 2015). "Baseball Opens New Ballpark with Walk-off Win" . West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .
^ Fitzsimmons, Jack (27 June 2015). "Monongalia County Ballpark Voted the Best in Short-Season Single A" . WBOY. Retrieved 28 June 2015 .
External links
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