New Sewell-Thomas Stadium opening Friday
The work at Sewell-Thomas Stadium is complete. The games are about to begin.
The University of Alabama will re-open the rebuilt Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Friday for the Crimson Tide’s season opener against Maryland. The new “Joe” is back after a $42 million upgrade that began after the 2014 season.
There’s excitement in the locker room and surrounding the program as the season begins, head coach Mitch Gaspard said. But Friday night will be different.
“We’re ready to play,” Gaspard said. “But this is a unique series and a unique night with the new stadium.”
The Crimson Tide return to Tuscaloosa after playing its home games in 2015 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. For some players, it’s their first true home game. For veterans, it’s a moment they’ve been anticipating for years. The project was approved in November 2013, but research and discussion about the future of Sewell-Thomas Stadium began long before that.
“I definitely feel spoiled in this new stadium,” sophomore pitcher Jake Walters said. “We didn’t feel at home much last year. Being my first year, on the road, I don’t even know what it’s like to play a home game. It’s exciting.”
Fans will find several major changes at the ballpark. There’s a new jumbotron and scoreboard to track action. A playground sits outside the left field fence for children to visit. The grassy berm in right field has grown and is tiered. Seats down the first and third baselines are angled toward home plate, and unlike before, sight lines extend all the way to the foul pole.
There are a dozen new luxury boxes and two club seating areas where alcohol will be available. Some premium seating areas behind home plate included padded seats. New concession stands, wider concourses and more entrances around the park all make it more fan-friendly.
“This is the nicest ballpark I’ve seen so far in college baseball,” senior center fielder Georgie Salem said.
Salem and his teammates have other parts of the stadium to explore. The renovation includes a new locker room, and team meeting room. There’s a state-of-the-art indoor hitting facility attached on the third base line, players’ lounge and more to help modernize the program.
“The locker room is incredible,” catcher Will Haynie said. “The team lounge. The new indoor (hitting facility). Every night you see 10 to 15 guys in there putting in extra work. Just having such a great facility like that and being able to put in work that you weren’t able to do before is a lot of fun.”
The balance of fan amenities and team facilities has Gaspard excited. He’s entering his 16th year with the program as assistant or head coach. Despite all that time, he’s still seeing new faces around the stadium who are drawn to the new “Joe.”
“We have an opportunity this year and moving forward to really capture a lot of those folks because of the curiosity of the stadium,” Gaspard said. “People will recognize and feel the difference when they’re in the park.”
Alabama will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony and live music before the game to celebrate the stadium’s opening. There will be fireworks after the game as well. Fans in attendance will receive a ceremonial ticket to the game. UA announced on Thursday it had fewer than 800 tickets remaining to the stadium, which has over 4,500 fixed seats after the renovation. The stadium’s full capacity, including sections like the grass seating area in right field, is much higher than that.
After the first pitch, Alabama should have its hands full. Mike Shawaryn, the Terrapins’ Friday night starter, is ranked as Baseball America’s No. 15 prospect in college baseball. Maryland advanced to Super Regionals in the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons and is receiving votes in most preseason polls.
Win or lose, the new ballpark should retain some sparkle long after opening night, though.
“I’ve been here for three years now and I haven’t felt anywhere close to this much excitement leading up to the season,” Salem said.
Construction is complete, but the excitement is still building.
“When you’re taking folks around, you’re proud,” Gaspard said. “You’re proud of the way it has come out. So many people were so involved in the project itself and this started many, many years ago. A lot of people are involved. Now, to see the final product, it’s something we’re all very proud of.”
Reach Ben Jones at ben@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.