New Surface, New Season

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NORMAN, Okla. – L. Dale Mitchell Park opened as the new home of Oklahoma baseball for the 1982 season and has undergone various renovations and upgrades over the last 34 years; the most recent of which is a brand new AstroTurf® playing surface for the 2016 season. The installation process began immediately after fall ball on October 15 and was completed in just 90 days. The Sooners took to the field right away for individual workouts on January 15 and held their first official team practice of the year on January 29. The first game in the turf era of OU baseball is set for opening day against Northeastern on Friday, February 19.

Quick Facts

The completion of the project, which was completed by Flintco and Mid-America Sports Construction, give Oklahoma the sixth turf playing surface among the nine teams in the Big 12.
Surface: AstroTurf® 3D Xtreme with an infield comprised of AstroTurf®'s 3Di 45 Diamond Series.
Field can handle 4-6 inches of rain per hour with proper drainage.

History of L. Dale Mitchell Park

Opened in 1982.
Named in honor of Sooner and MLB alum Dale Mitchell, who holds OU's career and single-season batting records.
Facility held a record 4,544 fans on May 4, 1995 for a 3-2 Sooner win over Texas.
Upper concourse, additional concessions and restrooms added in 1998 as well as new locker rooms, training facility and equipment room.
Indoor hitting facility added beyond left field foul territory prior to 2009 seasons.

What They're Saying

Pete Hughes, Head Coach

“Our new facility allows us to practice every day, regardless of the weather, with the synthetic turf surface. [Flintco and Mid-America] did an unbelievable job. [Associate AD] Greg Tipton did an unbelievable job spearheading that project. [Director of Athletics] Joe Castiglione gave us the thumbs up.

“It was the best move we made as far as development and recruiting wise. Aesthetically, it is a recruiting presentation 365 days a year.”

Austin O'Brien, Junior First Baseman

“First of all, it looks sweet. It's nice to not really ever get any bad hops, but there are some things you have to get used to like sliding. If the turf is ever wet, you've got to be careful because you'll slide really far. It's different, but I think it's going to turn out really well.

“Some of the things about turf is that balls on the ground are going to get through the infield a lot quicker, so infielders have to get rid of the ball quicker, and like I said about sliding, you have to be aware about that. Playing on it a lot, you definitely have an advantage, so I think it will help us out when we play at home.”

Sheldon Neuse, Junior Shortstop

“I'm excited, as an infielder you're always going to like turf better. You're going to get a true hop that eliminates a lot of the physical errors that could happen. It's going to be fun because it's the first time I've ever played on a turf field [at home].”