Good afternoon, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) fans. Today, we wrote about the very real possibility of the ACC moving its neutral site championships if the State of North Carolina does not repeal HB2.
Louisville has the perfect stadium for a long-term commitment to the ACC baseball tournament.
Jim Patterson Stadium Details
- Seating for 4,000 including 3,000 chairback seats
- Main press box with two radio booths, a television suite feature two booths, an AD suite and a development suite
- The surface is Field Turf, same as Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium
- Part of a $20-million athletic complex
- 6,400 sq. ft. terrace directly accessible above the chairback seats
- Two-tiered ground level terrace extending from the first and third base dugouts
- Lockerroom, players’ lounge, training room, equipment room, batting and pitching cages located in basement of the adjacent building
- Louisville baseball offices located in a large first floor suite in the building
- Lockerroom and clubhouse attached to visiting dugout
- All areas of the park are accessible to those with disability
- Exterior construction has elements that mirror Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium
- There is a tiered berm in left field and a covered party deck
- The first eight feet of the roof supports is constructed with green brick from the left field wall at historic Parkway Field
- Dimensions: LF-330′, LC-375′, CF-402′, RC-377′, RF-330′
- Eight light towers with 200 separate fixtures
And:
Since its opening in 2005, Jim Patterson Stadium has provided the University of Louisville baseball program with one of the great home field advantages in all of college baseball. With an initial seating capacity of 2,500 upon opening, the ballpark underwent an expansion project prior to the 2013 season increasing capacity to more than 4,000 and maintaining Jim Patterson Stadium as one of the elite facilities in the nation.
Spearheaded by the leadership gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Patterson, the privately funded expansion of Jim Patterson Stadium was a $4 million facility development plan which featured the addition of 1,500 chair back seats, a 6,400 sq. ft. terrace directly accessible above the chair back seats and a two-tiered ground level terrace extending from the first and third base dugouts. The project also included an expanded press box, which doubled the previous space used to facilitate media and hospitality, and a visiting team locker room behind the third base dugout.
The expansion doubled the number of chair back seats taking the total to 3,000 while the overall seating capacity of more than 4,000 places Jim Patterson Stadium among the Top 30 of university controlled collegiate ballparks in the nation. The increased permanent seating enables Louisville to host NCAA Regional and Super Regional games without the additional expense of temporary bleacher rentals. Since its opening, Jim Patterson Stadium has hosted five NCAA Regionals (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015) and three NCAA Super Regionals (2007, 2014 and 2015).
So, here you have a ballpark that has one of the top 30 overall seating capacities in the country (4000 seats, including 3000 chairback seats), you have a city in Louisville that has plenty of access to airlines, restaurants, hotels – and a likely willing participant as they are hosting the 2017 ACC baseball tournament.
If HB2 is not repealed, the ACC really needs to consider a long-term deal with Jim Patterson Stadium.
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