First look :: Montana's new softball complex
8/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Photo Gallery
They are conceptual drawings at this point, but Paradigm v2 Architects has helped bridge the gap between Thursday's groundbreaking for Montana's new softball complex and what the actual finished product will look like.
It will take a number of years for everything to take shape, but when it does the facility will have a fully synthetic playing surface, covered dugouts, permanent grandstand seating and press box, a locker room and a separate building for indoor batting cages.
"This will be a great facility for our student-athletes for years to come," says UM coach Jamie Pinkerton. "It's going to be a great recruiting tool and a great place for us to call home.
"I can't say it's going to be the best facility in the Big Sky Conference because I haven't made the tour yet, but I would imagine it's going to be one of the best."
Step 1A will be getting the playing surface and dugouts installed and built so the Grizzlies can host games at the facility next spring. Step 1B will be the indoor batting cages (photo gallery image No. 3, upper right-hand corner).
Temporary bleachers will be installed for the spring of 2015, with permanent fan seating coming down the road. In a unique, space-saving move, the bullpens will then be located directly behind the dugouts and underneath the stands (gallery image No. 5). Please do not feed the pitchers.
While the different elements of the stadium will change over the years, that the outdoor facility is located in western Montana won't.
"It's a beautiful spot. Fans watching the games will have views of Mt. Sentinel and Mt. Jumbo, and the fielders will have Lolo Peak and the mountains to the south, so it's going to be a picturesque setting," said Pinkerton.
The location also affords another perk that something located on the main campus might not: ease of access.
"It's in a location that has plenty of parking, and people will be able to get in and out pretty easily," said Pinkerton. "It has easy access to the campus and city bus systems, so it will be a convenient venue for our fans to get to and watch us play."
