Grand opening festivities set for English Field at Union Park

Hokies set to show off revitalized baseball stadium on Spring Game weekend

April 12, 2018

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, Director of Athletics Whit Babcock and executives from Union Bank & Trust will be on campus Saturday evening to celebrate the grand opening of English Field at Union Park.

The festivities will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. leading up to first pitch of an ACC contest against Louisville at 7 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony, several honorary first pitches from Tech and Union Bank & Trust, as well as other celebratory moments will take place to highlight Tech’s inaugural season in its newly constructed baseball park. Commemorative giveaways will be available for fans, as well as a fireworks show following the game’s conclusion.

“Saturday represents a new era in Virginia Tech’s long history as we open the new English Field at Union Park and Union is excited to be a part of it,” said John Asbury, President and Chief Executive Officer at Union Bank & Trust. “Supporting Virginia Tech Athletics demonstrates our continuous commitment, as Virginia’s bank, to the region and the Commonwealth.”

Union Bank & Trust, the largest independent bank headquartered in Virginia, provided a financial commitment to the $18 million project that showcases the recently completed entrance to campus from Highway 460. The stadium project was completed under the direction of architects from Cannon Design in conjunction with workers from Whiting-Turner.

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors first approved the athletics department's plans for a major upgrade and improvements the team’s home field location on August 29, 2016 and Tech officially broke ground on the project on October 20 of that year.

The ambitious design completely razed the former press box and the permanent stands that were at the site and now provides a new and larger seating area – an area that moves more fans closer to home plate. The construction also included the addition of premium seating and a new club area behind the first-base dugout and a social area down the right-field line.

The new press box structure features improvements to accommodate fans, the media and athletics staff. New restrooms, concession areas and marketing areas were also added. Other features of the project included the installation of a new video scoreboard and a new locker area for the players, which was constructed on the bottom floor of the Jim Weaver Baseball Center beyond the left-field foul pole. The new area added a player lounge, a team room, an equipment room and a video room for players and coaches to review individual skills.

Fans attending Saturday’s game are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online: vthoki.es/BaseTix. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for those under 18 and Tech students with a valid ID and children two and younger are free. For those attending the Spring Game, tickets will be available at the Lane Stadium ticket windows from 1:30-5 p.m. Ticket windows open at 5 p.m at English Field at Union Park.

Tech opens its three-game series with Louisville at 6 p.m. on Friday.

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