Postcard From OKC: Stadium Upgrade Adds a Boost to WCWS Experience

With college softball interest and revenue growing, the $27 million renovations to USA Hall of Fame Stadium were long overdue

OKLAHOMA CITY -- I’m impressed.

I arrived at USA Hall of Fame Stadium Thursday afternoon for Alabama’s Women’s College World Series game with Arizona and was taken aback by the scene.

The place seemed to have more life, more pizazz, more everything since the last time I was here in 2019. That’s due to a $27 million facelift the stadium received, which included an upper deck that increases capacity by 4,000, playing surface with updated irrigation system, more restrooms, and much-needed improvements to player locker rooms.

It’s about time.

Softball has been on the rise for several years, and it’s generating revenue, and fan interest. These renovations were needed years ago.

According to a Washington Post article, TV ratings for the baseball College World Series and WCWS were around 1 million viewers in 2019.

It only made sense for upgrades. Now, they need to keep going.

The next step should be the outfield wall. It’s a rickety fence, basically, with no padding. That should be an easy fix. If you are already spending $27 million for upgrades, why not add a padded wall to the budget?

Anyway, the new additions are fantastic and it makes the WCWS experience that much better. If you haven’t made it out to OKC you should plan to do so as soon as possible. It’s worth it.