— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The long-awaited baseball stadium at Marshall University is a step closer to reality.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on the old Flint Group pigments property in Huntington (between 3rd and 5th Avenue). That is the site for the state-of-the-art facility.
“Saturday will be another crucial step for the future of our baseball program,” said Mike Hamrick, director of athletics at Marshall, in a university release. “I’m excited to get this very special project underway and encourage all of our loyal fans to step up and help us make this dream a reality.”
The event, which highlights the department’s Herd Rises campaign, will be part of the University’s annual Homecoming weekend. Marshall’s football team takes on Western Kentucky at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.
Construction on the 3,500-seat facility is set to begin in the spring with the official opening scheduled for March 2021. On hand to participate in the groundbreaking will be Thundering Herd alums and Major League Baseball all-stars Jeff Montgomery and Rick Reed.
Also taking part in Saturday’s announcement will be Marshall President Dr. Jerry Gilbert, Huntington mayor Steve Williams, current Thundering Herd baseball coach Jeff Waggoner, legendary former coach Jack Cook, stadium architect AECOM and Jim Bailes, chairman of the Marshall University Board of Governors.