WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The newly minted Boilermaker Softball Stadium opened March 20, 2015, with Purdue defeating Wisconsin 9-0 in five innings. The stadium will be dedicated Saturday, April 11, beginning at 12:40 p.m., prior to the Boilermakers' game against Nebraska.
Postgame fireworks on Friday night also will be included in Dedication Weekend festivities.
The facility is located adjacent to Alexander Field and the Boilermaker Soccer Complex near the intersection of Cherry Lane and McCormick Road on the northwest edge of campus.
The $13-million stadium is part of the Mackey Complex master plan approved by the Purdue Board of Trustees in 2007. The cost included related site work and infrastructure.
"A new softball stadium completes a 20-year journey where we now will have contemporary facilities for all our programs that will enable our student-athletes and coaches to compete for championships on a consistent basis," athletics director Morgan Burke said.
The stadium is built in traditional Purdue style with brick and masonry exterior facades and a concrete spectator area with a combination of bench and chairback seats. Seating capacity is 1,000, with the ability to expand in the future.
Both the home and visiting dugouts are heated, and both teams have dedicated bullpens and batting cages. The Boilermakers' home dugout is located along the third-base line and adjacent to a clubhouse that features a locker room, lounge, team meeting area and athletic training treatment area. The clubhouse is attached to an enclosed and heated training facility that allows for offseason batting and pitching workouts.
A press box includes media seating, radio and television announce booths, and a game-day operations area. Television-quality lights allow for night games to be televised.
Restrooms and concession stands complete the fan experience.
From 1995 to 2014, the Boilermakers played their home games at the Boilermaker Softball Complex, which was constructed along Stadium Avenue in 1994-95, in conjunction with softball becoming an intercollegiate sport at Purdue. The Boilermaker Softball Complex had limited amenities, including no permanent restrooms and, after being built, saw the construction of an electrical substation and a parking lot for the Córdova Recreational Sports Center.