Stadium Renovations

[titansforever]

For your reading enjoyment:

For ORU, more postseason magic and another facility home run

Bill Haisten  Sep 26, 2023

After the 2021 Golden Eagles shocked Ohio State, shocked Florida and surged to the Sweet Sixteen level of the NCAA Tournament, one particularly inspired Oral Roberts University basketball fan wrote a big check that resulted in a campus-changing construction project: the development of the Mike Carter Center, a headquarters building for the athletic department and a practice facility for the ORU women’s and men’s basketball programs.

There isn’t a better practice facility in all of basketball. Take the tour. See for yourself.

The aftermath of ORU’s 2023 baseball season bears a striking resemblance to what occurred two years ago.

During the college baseball season, ORU danced its way to three victories over Oklahoma State, the Summit League title and an NCAA Super Regional conquest of Oregon on the Ducks’ home field.

For the first time since 1978 (and only the second time in program history), the Golden Eagles advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. After the 52-14 Golden Eagles were eliminated by TCU on June 20, ORU athletic director Tim Johnson and his staff launched an aggressive fund-raising campaign.

The goal: To generate an undisclosed amount that would result in an extensive renovation of ORU’s 46-year-old ballpark – J.L. Johnson Stadium.

“With (the donations) we already have committed,” Johnson told the Tulsa World, “there’s no way that we’re not in a new ballpark by 2025.”

Notice his choice of words: “a new ballpark.”

The plan is for a renovation so complete that ORU would, in effect, have a new ballpark.

“All of the bids are lined up,” Johnson said. “All of the (design and construction) companies are ready. We’ve got a good system that I really believe in (and) people who’ve been involved in our other projects.”

“As soon as they say ‘go!’ – Johnson added, snapping his fingers for emphasis – “then everything is rocking and rolling.”

Construction would begin immediately after the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Johnson says “about two-thirds” of the necessary money already has been raised.

“Naming rights for the field are up for grabs,” Johnson stated. “Naming rights for the stadium are up for grabs, as well.

“The bones of our stadium are phenomenal. It was way ahead of its time (with regard to design). There’s a lot of space underneath. The inside of that stadium already is so nice that when you replace the seats, it’ll look as beautiful as the (recently renovated) Mabee Center. It’ll look like a brand-new stadium.”

Because ORU is a private school, it is not obligated to open its books to the Tulsa World. Still, there was the obligatory question: What is the cost of such a pronounced makeover of ORU’s ballpark?

“I appreciate you asking,” Johnson replied. “I’ll say this much: it’s a multi-, multi-million-dollar project.

“You’re looking at a brand-new clubhouse, locker room, lounge, kitchen, coaches’ amenities and a state-of-the-art pitching lab. We’re really excited about the pitching lab. We’ll freshen up the Grand Slam Club suite.”

Before the Mabee Center renovation, gold was the primary color both on the exterior and the arena’s seats. Now, navy is the primary color. The same will happen at J.L. Johnson Stadium: navy replacing gold as the primary color.

The ballpark’s seating capacity will remain the same at 2,500. The outfield wall already has been replaced. For several years, ORU played on a home surface with a FieldTurf infield and a grass outfield. Part of the upcoming renovation is a fresh blanket of FieldTurf on the entire field.

Years before the 2021 Golden Eagle basketball team commanded national attention, Johnson dusted off design skills he developed while studying architecture at Oklahoma State. He designed a dream building for the ORU basketball programs. He wanted to have something on paper, just in case ORU somehow could score the money for such a project.

A few days after the end of the 2021 basketball season, Johnson presented those drawings to a still-unidentified donor. The donor agreed to fund the construction. The Mike Carter Center was dedicated and opened for business in April.

Before the 2023 ORU baseball squad punched its ticket for the College World Series, Johnson was at a comparable level of preparedness regarding the possibility of a modernized Golden Eagle ballpark.

“I’ve got a facilities master plan that hits on everything we want to do,” Johnson explained. “We had a concept of what we wanted to do (for ORU baseball). We had a lot of stuff drawn out. A lot of ideas.

“I would say that 90% of our (ballpark design) was in the works prior to the World Series run.”

The original J.L. Johnson Stadium construction was finished in 1977. ORU’s first season in the ballpark was the 1978 season, which ended with the Golden Eagles’ first trip to the College World Series. There was not a second CWS trip until June.

During this year’s CWS appearance, Johnson reports, there was a 900% jump in traffic on the Oral Roberts University website and a 343% increase in application requests.

“We also had two SportsCenter Top 10 plays,” Johnson added. “It’s not a coincidence that ORU this (semester) had the biggest freshman class ever.”

Three months before the baseball Golden Eagles went to Omaha, the basketball Golden Eagles also were Summit League champs and made their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons.

While ORU lost its basketball coach, with Paul Mills having accepted a rebuilding challenge at Wichita State, Johnson says he was “thrilled” to have retained Golden Eagle baseball coach Ryan Folmar.

Contacted about several other jobs – bigger-school jobs – Folmar chose to stay at Oral Roberts. The 2024 season will be his 12th as the ORU head coach.

“The College World Series was so reminiscent of our Sweet Sixteen run (in 2021),” Johnson said. “We had thousands of people in Omaha. We couldn’t fulfill all of the ticket requests. We let 200 alumni attend a private practice session in Omaha.

“Our people are excited about ORU baseball. It’ll be fun to see their reaction to a new ballpark, and it’ll be fun to watch our guys play in such a beautiful facility.”

[theeagleman5]

Just amazing....Tim Johnson is AD of the year!!! 

[Bogus Smith]

I would like to think that we can get 100% participation from all the members of this message board.  Give a sacrificial gift that equates to your love and support for the baseball team and give it cheerfully and generously.  It's not much to ask when you consider the enjoyment that we get out of following our favorite team.  Even our friends from other schools can/should participate as I believe that they have (and are) enjoyed the success of this team in following them through the NCAA tournaments.  I encourage you to act and be a part of something special.  Thank you!

[ORU82]

Fantastic news!  My only hope is that they would increase JLJ's seating capacity to the 4,000 - 5,000 range.  However that appears is not going to happen.

[titansforever]

I think parking is another issue. (When is it not?) Right now, most fans have to park in front of the Stovall Center and walk quite a ways to get to JLJ. With so little ground available, though, I don't think that will ever change.

[theeagleman5]

Richard Roberts would beg to differ.... parking was never an issue for him. 

[dbl78]

16 hours ago, titansforever said:

I think parking is another issue. (When is it not?) Right now, most fans have to park in front of the Stovall Center and walk quite a ways to get to JLJ. With so little ground available, though, I don't think that will ever change.

Talk about horrible parking - have you ever been to Wrigley Field in Chicago?  Yet the fans find a way to get to the games - walking five or six blocks would be deemed close in Chicago.  While we do not have public transportation like Chicago, I believe that the product that we put on the field is worthly of a short walk.

[theeagleman5]

The Cubs???? HAHAHAHA!!! NOT!!! 

[Old Titan]

[OKC Eagle]

I wish they could figure out a way to bring the seats down to field level, but does not sound like that is in the cards if capacity is not changing.  That would require building new dugouts (actually dug out), moving the fences and pushing the field toward the creek, but I think there is room.

[Bogus Smith]

9 minutes ago, OKC Eagle said:

I wish they could figure out a way to bring the seats down to field level, but does not sound like that is in the cards if capacity is not changing.  That would require building new dugouts (actually dug out), moving the fences and pushing the field toward the creek, but I think there is room.

That would be a great idea, @OKC Eagle, but unfortunately it would be cost prohibitive for what you are suggesting.  For the field level experience, what I would like to see is move the visitor's bullpen out past the left field fence (like we have done with the home bullpen) and use the left field line for a "party venue" with bleachers to the back of the space and bistro tables and a flat "milling around" area for fans to get an upfront, closer look at the field level experience.  Oregon had this set up in Eugene and I thought it could fit well within the confines of JLJ (or whatever we are going to call it).

With the renovations, we will lose the Selinger Room, which is the only field level experience we currently have, as they will turn that into something for the players (i.e., pitching lab, hitting center or something).  The may make the space between the stands and the Grand Slam Club room as a grilling/party area as well, which could give us a field-level experience but everything is only speculative at this time.  I don't know that the full design of the renovations is complete.

[tmh8286]

On 9/29/2023 at 1:00 PM, Bogus Smith said:

That would be a great idea, @OKC Eagle, but unfortunately it would be cost prohibitive for what you are suggesting. For the field level experience, what I would like to see is move the visitor's bullpen out past the left field fence (like we have done with the home bullpen) and use the left field line for a "party venue" with bleachers to the back of the space and bistro tables and a flat "milling around" area for fans to get an upfront, closer look at the field level experience. Oregon had this set up in Eugene and I thought it could fit well within the confines of JLJ (or whatever we are going to call it).

With the renovations, we will lose the Selinger Room, which is the only field level experience we currently have, as they will turn that into something for the players (i.e., pitching lab, hitting center or something).  The may make the space between the stands and the Grand Slam Club room as a grilling/party area as well, which could give us a field-level experience but everything is only speculative at this time.  I don't know that the full design of the renovations is complete.

When I first got season tickets to baseball games, probably in the early 2000s, we used to have access to the Selinger Room, but after a while we didn't, and I've lost track of what the Selinger room has been used for in recent years. What have they been using it for?

 

[Bogus Smith]

Just now, tmh8286 said:

When I first got season tickets to baseball games, probably in the early 2000s, we used to have access to the Selinger Room, but after a while we didn't, and I've lost track of what the Selinger room has been used for in recent years. What have they been using it for?

 

Special parties usually - company outings and other school events have used that room.  In the offseason, I believe that it is the meeting room for the team that the coaches can get all the players/coaches in the same room.  The GSC room has also been used that way as well.