Segra Park facts for kids
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| Former names | Spirit Communications Park (2016–2018) |
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| Location | 1640 Freed Street Columbia, South Carolina United States |
| Coordinates | 34°01′03″N 81°01′53″W / 34.017417°N 81.031397°W |
| Owner | City of Columbia |
| Operator | Hardball Capital |
| Capacity | 9,077 |
| Field size | Left Field: 319 ft (97 m) Left-Center Field: 372 ft (113 m) Center Field: 400 ft (120 m) Right-Center Field: 382 ft (116 m) Right Field: 330 ft (100 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 6, 2015 |
| Opened | April 14, 2016 |
| Construction cost | $37 million |
| Architect | Populous |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore |
| Services engineer | Henderson Engineers, Inc. |
| General contractor | CCEB Venue Partners (Consisting of Barton Malow, Contract Construction, Construction Dynamics, and EnviroAg Sciences) |
| Tenants | |
| Columbia Fireflies (SAL) 2016–present | |
Segra Park, also known as Spirit Communications Park before 2019, is a cool baseball park in Columbia, South Carolina. It's the home field for the Columbia Fireflies, a professional baseball team. This team plays in the South Atlantic League, which is part of Minor League Baseball. Segra Park opened in 2016 and can hold over 9,000 fans!
Contents
Building a New Home for Baseball
Columbia, South Carolina, didn't have a minor league baseball team for a while. The last team, the Capital City Bombers, moved away in 2004. People in Columbia really missed having a team.
Plans for a New Stadium
In 2014, plans were approved to build a brand-new stadium. The goal was to bring minor league baseball back to the city. A local company called Spirit Communications bought the rights to name the stadium.
Construction and Opening Day
Construction on the stadium began on January 6, 2015. A famous company called Populous designed the park. It cost about $37 million to build. The stadium was designed to hold around 8,500 people.
In May 2015, it was announced that the Savannah Sand Gnats baseball team would move to Columbia. They would become the Columbia Fireflies for the 2016 season. The very first game at the new stadium was on April 14, 2016. The Fireflies won 4–1 against the Greenville Drive. A huge crowd of 9,077 people came to watch!
Awards and Recognition
In its first year, the stadium was a big hit! Ballpark Digest magazine named Spirit Communications Park the "2016 Ballpark of the Year." This was a special award because it was the first time a stadium won this honor in its opening year since 2006.
Events and Renaming
Segra Park isn't just for baseball games. It also hosts other fun events.
Music Festival at the Park
On September 7, 2018, the ballpark held a big hip-hop concert. It was called the United Music Festival. Famous artists like Ludacris, Flo Rida, Nelly, and the Ying Yang Twins performed there.
A New Name for the Stadium
The stadium was first known as Spirit Communications Park. But in January 2019, its name changed to Segra Park. This happened after Spirit Communications merged with another company called Lumos Networks Corp. The new combined company is called Segra.
