Monongalia County Ballpark

Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark
Map
Full nameWagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark
Former namesMonongalia County Ballpark (2015-2024)
Location2040 Gyorko Drive
Granville, West Virginia 26534
Coordinates39°38′41″N 79°59′45″W / 39.64473°N 79.995838°W / 39.64473; -79.995838
OwnerMonongalia County[1]
OperatorWest Virginia University[1]
Capacity3,500 [4]
Record attendance4,614
April 26, 2024, vs. Pittsburgh
Field sizeLeft Field – 325 ft.
Left-Center – 375 ft.
Center Field – 400 ft.
Right-Center – 375 ft.
Right Field – 325 ft.
SurfaceSynthetic Turf
Construction
Broke groundOctober 17, 2013
OpenedApril 10, 2015
Construction costUS$25 million
ArchitectPopulous[2]
DLA Architecture[2]
Structural engineerAllegheny Design Services[3]
Services engineerM–E Engineers, Inc.
General contractorMascaro Construction[1]
Tenants
West Virginia Black Bears (MLBDL) 2015–present
West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA) 2015–present

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

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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

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In 2015, the Mountaineers ranked 39th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,801 per home game.[citation needed]

Milestones

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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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Dovey, Grant (January 29, 2014). "More Ballpark Details Emerge". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Muret, Don (September 8, 2014). "Under Construction: Reviewing the Building Plans". SportsBusiness Journal. p. 22. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  3. ^ Howell, Michael (February 17, 2015). "Athletic Facilities: Structural Part of Mon County Field Near Completion". Allegheny Design Services. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  4. ^ "Monongalia County Ballpark". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "New Ballpark". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  7. ^ Dovey, Grant (August 21, 2014). "New Ballpark Construction Update". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  8. ^ Vingle, Mitch (August 23, 2014). "Morgantown Lands NY-Penn League Baseball Team". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  9. ^ "New NYPL club to be called the Black Bears". Minor League Baseball. October 22, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Fragale, Michael (March 5, 2015). "Inclement Weather Delays Scheduled WVU Ballpark Opening". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  12. ^ Cassazza, Mike (April 9, 2015). "Wind, Outfield Walls Among Quirks of Monongalia County Ballpark". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  13. ^ Dovey, Grant (April 10, 2015). "Baseball Opens New Ballpark with Walk-off Win". West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  14. ^ Fitzsimmons, Jack (27 June 2015). "Monongalia County Ballpark Voted the Best in Short-Season Single A". WBOY. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
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