The Stadium by the River

"There will not be a more impressive college baseball stadium in the country." Those are the words of Athletic Director Eric Hyman in reference to USC's new ballpark that will be opening in time for this year's season.

Carolina fans sorrowfully said goodbye to Sarge Frye Field last year, a stadium rife with countless memories of players, coaches and unforgettable games. Nestled right below the Roost, the Sarge was the home site of Carolina baseball for 29 great seasons.

Nostalgia for the old ballpark will quickly be forgotten once fans get a glimpse of the university's new $35.6 million dollar stadium. Originally slated to be ready for last year's season, construction delays caused the opening of the new field to be pushed back a year.

The wait for the stadium will be worth while as every aspect about the new baseball field is second to none. For starters, more than 8,000 Carolina fans will be able to pack in to the stadium, over 2,000 more people than Sarge Frye held. The stadium has 5,400 permanent, chair-back seats each accompanied with its own cup holder.

There will be few sporting experiences as enjoyable and picturesque as watching a game in the new stadium. The view just beyond the outfield fence is a panorama of the downtown Columbia skyline. Located south of Blossom Street and adjacent to the Congaree River, the setting couldn't be better.

"When you visualize a night game, coming over the river with the Columbia skyline, the people in the stadium will be able to capture all of that," Hyman said. "It will be a setting that will be second to none."

Another impressive addition to the stadium is a state-of-the-art video scoreboard that will stand almost 100 feet above the field. The scoreboard will include a 16-by-28 foot video board allowing fans to see instant replays during the games.

USC baseball players won't have any tougher of a time hitting the long ball in this stadium, with the dimensions the exact same as Sarge Frye (325 down the lines and 390 to center).

In mid July, the field was carefully covered with Bermudagrass, the exact same type of grass that is planted in Williams-Brice Stadium. In the following weeks after the sod was laid, workers paid close attention to make sure the sod was growing correctly.

"The stadium is what the fans are always oohing and aahing about." USC outfielder DeAngelo Mack said. "But for us players, it's all about the grass."

When Carolina takes on Duquesne for the first game played in the landmark stadium it will mark the beginning of a new era in Carolina baseball. With the idea of building a new stadium conceived years ago, the completion of the stadium marks the end of hard work from many dedicated people.

The stadium by the river will act as a positive impact on the Carolina baseball community as a whole. The national recognition gained by the construction of this ballpark will increase recruits, and players will be pushed to excel in front of the full-capacity crowds.

Everyone is excited to get back to Williams-Brice and have a great football season, but just around the corner, this year's baseball season will be just as exciting.