SALT LAKE CITY, April 11, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — With the Utes’ current home baseball stadium’s future in question, the University of Utah announced plans Tuesday to build an on-campus ballpark and begin playing there as soon as 2025.
The proposed $35 million, 1,200-seat stadium with a turf field would be built on Guardsman Way at the site of the Utes’ practice baseball field, university officials said.
The university’s Board of Trustees approved the proposed stadium Tuesday, allowing Utah Athletics officials to begin fundraising for the project. The stadium primarily will be privately funded, university officials said.
“I’d like to thank the Trustees for their approval to move forward with this important project to support our baseball program with a stadium on our campus,” Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan said in a news release. “We have incredible engagement from donors, and we are actively working to reach our fundraising goals.”
The Utes have shared Smith’s Ballpark at 77 W. 1300 South with Salt Lake City’s minor league baseball team (the Buzz, Stingers and now Bees) since 1996. But the Salt Lake Bees plan to relocate after the 2024 season to a new stadium the triple-A team’s ownership is building in Daybreak.
Salt Lake City leaders are evaluating options for the property, including the possible demolition of the ballpark after the Bees’ 2024 season concludes.
“We’re very appreciative of the terrific partnership we have enjoyed for nearly three decades with the Salt Lake Bees and the city for our baseball program to play its home games at Smith’s Ballpark,” Harlan said. “This is also a tremendous opportunity for us to finalize our quest to find an on-campus home for Utah Baseball that has been pursued for nearly 10 years.”
Utah Athletics officials say an on-campus baseball stadium has been in the works for nearly a decade. Eight potential sites initially were identified and then narrowed by a study in 2019 to five, including two locations on Guardsman Way.
“The goal and purpose for this location on Guardsman Way is that it provides the most beneficial site for our baseball program and our fans,” Harlan explained. “For our student-athletes, it is situated in close proximity to other athletics facilities, including our dining facility in the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center. And for our fans, it provides ample parking and ease of access on game days.”
The proposed stadium site also keeps campus sporting venues located along two key corridors — central campus and Guardsman Way, said Robin Burr, the university’s chief facilities officer.
Utah plays 22-24 home games from March to May during a typical college baseball season. Roughly half of those games are played in the afternoons and half in the evenings, university officials said.
Burr said community feedback from stadium planning sessions has influenced the design process.
“Noise, light, safety and traffic have been the consistent concerns raised, and our design addresses each of these factors,” she said. “This new design is also scaled back from proposals and fits nicely on the space we have designated.”
Harlan says the university envisions the ballpark becoming a community asset.
“We look forward to working with our neighborhood partners to construct the best facility for our program, our fans, nearby residents and Salt Lake City,” he said. “Providing a turf baseball field in Salt Lake City, intended for joint usage with the community, will be a tremendous asset that benefits all levels of baseball in Salt Lake City.”
