Monongalia County Ballpark facts for kids
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| Location | 2040 Gyorko Drive Granville, West Virginia 26534 |
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| Coordinates | 39°38′41″N 79°59′45″W / 39.64473°N 79.995838°W |
| Owner | Monongalia County |
| Operator | West Virginia University |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Record attendance | 4,357 May 31, 2019 Fordham |
| Field size | Foul Lines: 325 feet Power Alleys: 375 feet Center Field: 400 feet |
| Surface | Synthetic Turf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 17, 2013 |
| Opened | April 10, 2015 |
| Construction cost | US$25 million |
| Architect | Populous DLA Architecture |
| Structural engineer | Allegheny Design Services |
| Services engineer | M–E Engineers, Inc. |
| General contractor | Mascaro Construction |
| Tenants | |
| West Virginia Black Bears (NYPL/MLBDL) (2015–present) West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA) (2015–present) |
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Monongalia County Ballpark is a cool baseball stadium located in Granville, West Virginia. It opened its doors on April 10, 2015. This stadium is home to two awesome baseball teams: the West Virginia Mountaineers, who play for West Virginia University (WVU) in the Big 12 Conference, and the West Virginia Black Bears. The Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team that plays in the MLB Draft League.
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Building the Ballpark
Plans to build a new stadium for the West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team were announced in 2013. Construction began on October 17, 2013. The ballpark was built in University Town Centre, a shopping and entertainment area in Granville. This area is right next to Morgantown, where WVU is located.
The stadium has 2,500 permanent seats. There are also extra spots on a grassy hillside and special club seating areas. It even has a fun deck for fans and a park that's open all year. The playing field is made of a special synthetic (artificial) surface, except for the pitcher's mound, which is made of clay.
The West Virginia Black Bears
In August 2014, a baseball team called the Jamestown Jammers announced they would move to West Virginia. They changed their name to the "West Virginia Black Bears". They decided to make Monongalia County Ballpark their home stadium.
The Black Bears were first connected with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team in Major League Baseball. After the 2020 baseball season, Major League Baseball changed how its minor leagues were organized. The Black Bears then became a collegiate summer baseball team in the MLB Draft League.
Opening Day Delay
The stadium was supposed to open earlier, but bad weather in February 2015 caused a delay. Because of this, the official opening of Monongalia County Ballpark was moved to April 10, 2015.
Fan Attendance
In 2015, the West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team was very popular. They ranked 39th among all Division I college baseball teams in attendance. This means a lot of fans came to watch their home games, with an average of 1,801 people at each game.
Stadium Achievements
Monongalia County Ballpark has seen some exciting moments! Here are a few highlights:
| Achievement | Record |
|---|---|
| Largest Crowd | 4,355 fans (on May 31, 2019, against Fordham) |
| Overall Record | 45 wins and 27 losses |
| Big 12 Conference Record | 18 wins and 18 losses |
| Record against Ranked Teams | 9 wins and 8 losses |
| Record against State Teams | 3 wins and 0 losses |
| First Game Played | April 10, 2015, against Butler |
| First Night Game | April 10, 2015, against Butler |
| First Win | 6-5 in 13 innings (on April 10, 2015, against Butler) |
| First Loss | 5-3 (on April 14, 2015, against Penn State) |
| First Big 12 Win | 6-5 (on April 18, 2015, against #23 Oklahoma) |
| First Win over a Ranked Team | 6-5 (on April 18, 2015, against #23 Oklahoma) |
| *Information as of the 2017 season | |
Awards and Recognition
In its very first year, Monongalia County Ballpark received a special award! BallparkDigest.com, a website that reviews baseball stadiums, named it the best "short season Single A" ballpark in the entire country. This was a great honor for the new stadium.
