OU Breaks Ground on Love's Field

NORMAN – The University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Athletics Department officially broke ground on Love's Field Friday afternoon at the northwest corner of South Jenkins Ave. and Imhoff Rd., the future site of the stadium.

"This is going to happen," head coach Patty Gasso said. "This is a monumental moment for us. We started right across the street over here at Reaves Park. We've come a long way.

"We just don't have enough seats for all of you great people and that is what is about to happen…our dream come true. I want to thank you fans. I can't tell you how important you are to us with your passion for us,"

In front of a standing room only crowd, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr., OU Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione, Chief Culture Officer for Love's Travel Stops Jenny Love Meyer, Gasso and OU shortstop Grace Lyons addressed the crowd. Each expressed their excitement for the program and gratitude to the nearly 900 donors that made the project a reality.

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"This (groundbreaking ceremony) is about the culture… the culture of excellence, the culture of passion, the culture of what we want for our program in the future," Castiglione said. "That is the attractive element. Now we're going to have a stadium that can add to that.

"This is the culmination of the power of teamwork, the power of people working together united," Castiglione said. "That's what we have in our state at large but (especially) how it's come together around this softball program. The Love's family… they have become unbelievable teammates in all of this."

The OU Board of Regents approved in June the total budget of $42 million for the OU softball facility improvements and expansion project, Love's Field.

"When you think about where we stand as a university, what brings us together, what unites us… this softball team is a critical part of that," Harroz said. "It is bigger than just sport. It is part of who we are.

"If you look at this year, on the 50th anniversary of Title IX, we have a team that has done more than just play softball and win national championships; it set a standard across the country."

To date, over $30 million of the $42 million has been raised for the project and has come from 850 donors, including the $12 million lead and naming gift from Love's Travel Stops. Love's Travel Stops' original pledge was $9 million, and the company agreed to match every other donation dollar for dollar up to an additional $3 million. OU Athletics donors quickly unlocked the challenge match and have continued to support this project with over $6 million raised since the original announcement on Oct. 28, 2021.

"On behalf of my entire family, we're so proud and so thrilled to help and be here to help ground break on Love's Field," Love-Meyer said. "It's special when people and events come together to really create something larger than themselves. Last year after the national championship number five, my family and I started to get to know Coach Gasso and the team, (and) it really became clear that that's exactly what we could do."

Love's Field, which will be approximately one-half mile south of existing Marita Hynes Field, will accommodate seating for 3,000 and is being designed to allow for expansion. Including temporary seating that is added each season, Marita Hynes Field has a seating capacity of just over 1,600.

The new facility will feature a 10,500-square-foot indoor training center and several team spaces, including a training room, locker room and classroom. It will also have space for a recognition area to showcase national championships, All-Americans and other outstanding accomplishments.

"What's super cool is that what happened that Love's Field (is) going to be the story that we create throughout the season, and Sooner Nation is a part of that," Lyons said.

"This is an amazing moment and I can't wait to see these shovels go in the dirt," Lyons said. "We're gonna make an impact in the softball world."

Current plans call for the overall square footage of the complex to reach 44,000, compared to 15,150 at the present facility. The team areas will expand from 2,949 square feet to 5,375 square feet and the indoor practice facility will jump from 4,700 square feet to 10,531 square feet.

Individuals interested in giving to the Love's Field project, other OU Athletics facilities projects or any other area within OU Athletics should contact the Sooner Club at (405) 325-8000 or visit www.TheSoonerClub.com.

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Love's Field Season Ticket Sales and Seat Selection Process

With an initial seating capacity of 3,000, the OU Athletics Department will begin the season ticket sales and seat selection process for Love's Field in the coming months.

OU will utilize an online 3D seat map of Love's Field to assist OU softball fans in selecting their seats. Current OU softball season ticket holders will have first priority and will be placed in Sooner Point order to determine seat selection times.

Next, all fans on the softball season ticket wait list as of June 2022 will be placed in Sooner Point order and have the opportunity to select seats as availability exists.

A deposit process for all fans not in one of the two aforementioned groups has been created. Fans who make a $100 per seat deposit will be in the third priority group and will be assigned a seat selection time based on their Sooner Points within that group. Season tickets are subject to availability and making a deposit does not guarantee access to season tickets. Individuals interested in making a seat deposit should visit www.soonersports.com or call the OU Athletics Ticket Office at 405-325-2424 or the Sooner Club at 405-325-8000.

More information on the seating chart and season ticket pricing plan for Love's Field will be released as it is finalized.

Those who are interested in giving to the softball project should contact the Sooner Club at (405) 325-8000 or visit TheSoonerClub.com/softball.

Oklahoma capped a record-breaking 2022 season with the program's sixth overall and second consecutive national title, finishing the season 59-3.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.