Construction to begin on Plainsman Park upgrades
AUBURN | A facelift for one of college baseball’s most iconic stadiums will begin in July.
The $30 million project for Plainsman Park was approved by Auburn’s Board of Trustees in February, but the plans have undergone some changes over the last several months under the guidance of athletic director John Cohen.
The upgrades will capitalize on Auburn setting new attendance records in each of the past two seasons and be led by CDFL Architects + Engineers out of Jackson, Miss.
“I think our fans and our people that have invested in this will be excited because (Cohen) has absolutely put some positive twists on it to make it better,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “I think there are some revenue opportunities that are in harmony with each other and coming together at the right time where there’s a need and a desire.”
The project will include three major premium seating additions starting with a Hall of Fame Club, which will include 113 leather seats directly behind home plate and a 3000-square foot dining and lounge area underneath the stadium.
The Hall of Fame Club seating and club space will include a private entrance and is scheduled to be completed before the start of the 2024 season. Season ticket holders will have the option of purchasing access to the Hall of Fame Club, which will include the dining and lounge area and a standing room section directly behind the two rows of Hall of Fame seating.
The remaining premium seating additions will be completed before the 2025 season and include a three-story First Base Club down the right field line with an expanded Plainsman Patio below it and a Home Plate Club, which will take over the space currently occupied by the press box behind home plate.
Both club spaces will have indoor climate-controlled areas and access to food, beverages and restrooms. There will be approximately 363 premium seats added to Plainsman Park.
The project also includes a two-tiered, general admission area above the left field wall and a multi-tired, elevated platform for the student section in right field to be completed by 2025, and upgraded locker room, new bullpen and pitching lab, new weight room, new nutrition area, new team meeting room and new coaches’ offices to be completed in 2025 and 2026.
The press box will move to a space in the First Base Club area.
“Man, it just, it fills my heart. I've been fighting for this with Coach Thompson and everybody else in this program for a long time,” said assistant coach Gabe Gross, who was a player at AU from 1999-2001. “I think Plainsman Park can be the most unique ballpark in our conference and maybe even the country. It was like that when it was built.
“It was the No. 1 facility in college baseball for several years when I was playing in it. And it was so unique because of how they built it and the vision of Coach (Hal) Baird. And I think these updates are gonna kind of honor that as it moves forward.”
The stadium has received several upgrades since it was built in 1996 including the Josh Donaldson hitting lab in 2021, which is located just outside the right field fence.