Improvements at Doak Field (04/18/2024 Doak 2.0) $20MM approved by BOG

283,243 Views | 1207 Replies | Last: 8 hrs ago by Pakbackr
CLTWolf
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89_Grad said:

Wolfer79 said:

BobbyCox95 said:

Now that the playing field, dugouts and scoreboard are done, what's the next "phase"?


it appears
https://gopack.com/sports/2021/11/16/pack9stadium

This project will include new or improved:

Competitive Team Performance Spaces
-Locker room
-Team lounge, nutrition and sports medicine
-Weight room
-Batting facility
-Pitching lab


Anyone know what a pitching lab is?


Some iteration of this

https://www.wakeforestpitchinglab.com/

Pitching biomechanics and evaluation. An absolute must have today to recruit and land the arms we need.

*Wolfpack Baseball - 2021 *NCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES CHAMPS!
*Congrats to the 10 win 2021 Wolfpack football team!
Nairo
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Tatted_Umpire
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Here is what we have to compete against facilities wise down the road...

FlockaWolf
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Nothing overly impressive imo. They found a way to put MJ in the first 30 seconds though.
Wolfer79
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Beer showers, cowbells, Woo Pigs: Welcome to the wide world of SEC baseball

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/36305192/college-football-crowds-baseball-games-sec-electric-atmospheres

There are only four purpose-built, on-campus college baseball stadiums in Division I that seat more than 10,000. All are in the SEC West. There are only nine that can hold more than 7,000 fans and all but two of those are in the SEC, with one of those -- Texas's Disch-Falk Field -- slated to join the conference as soon as the 2024 baseball season concludes.

Of course, it's not enough to simply have a bunch of seats. Those chairs must also be filled. In 2022, SEC ballparks accounted for the nation's top four teams in total home attendance. Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss all averaged 10,000 per game or more. OK, that's not entirely true. The Rebs averaged 9,998. SEC schools also accounted for seven of the top nine in average attendance. Again, one of those other two was the SEC-bound Longhorns.

"I think that if you can play outfield in the SEC, you can probably do about anything else that life might throw at you," explained current Corpus Christi Hook Drew Gilbert, who was in the outfield at both Swayze and the Dude as an All-American outfielder for a Tennessee Volunteers team that spent a large portion of 2022 ranked No. 1. "There's smoke and beer blowing in all over you. And the fans at every school, they've done the research. They know where you're from, what classes you're taking, your parents' names, all of it. You want to be angry at them, but honestly, it's more impressive than anything else."

"I'm saying that it is about culture, but it is also about commitment," Peterson said. "If you go to most athletic departments, places with so much college baseball tradition, and you say, 'We think we should build a $60 million baseball stadium,' they'd look at you like, 'What are you talking about?' But Kentucky did it, and they've never been to the College World Series!"

Wolfer79
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Vanderbilt Baseball has unveiled plans for major upgrades to its ballpark, Hawkins Field:

Increased capacity to over 4,000
New suites above press box
'Home Run Deck' in left field
Second grandstand level
Submerged home plate seats

metcalfmafia
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Wall looks like a nightmare for your LF. Really cool feature for fans though.
Tatted_Umpire
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metcalfmafia said:

Wall looks like a nightmare for your LF. Really cool feature for fans though.
310 wall in left field seems short, guess that explains the roughly 30ft wall
Nairo
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Moonshot vision…

The largest undertaking of its kind in school history, Vandy United represents a bold step for Vanderbilt Athletics. A $300 million investment in student-athletes and athletics programs, the Vandy United Fund will support major facilities and operational enhancements. It will elevate each sport at Vanderbilt, transform the athletics footprint on campus, build the best student-athlete experience in college sports, and create an immersive gameday experience for Commodore Nation.
Francis
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Amazing that all SEC stadiums look like AAA minor league stadiums. To expand Doak concourses and fan amenities, can the road between Doak and tennis complex be used to expand Doak while looping a new road circling the tennis complex?
D33z
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With what money ?

Francis said:

Amazing that all SEC stadiums look like AAA minor league stadiums. To expand Doak concourses and fan amenities, can the road between Doak and tennis complex be used to expand Doak while looping a new road circling the tennis complex?
"PACK POWER"
Francis
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D33z said:

With what money ?

Francis said:

Amazing that all SEC stadiums look like AAA minor league stadiums. To expand Doak concourses and fan amenities, can the road between Doak and tennis complex be used to expand Doak while looping a new road circling the tennis complex?


Guess I need a lighten up.
Wolfer79
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Francis said:

D33z said:

With what money ?

Francis said:

Amazing that all SEC stadiums look like AAA minor league stadiums. To expand Doak concourses and fan amenities, can the road between Doak and tennis complex be used to expand Doak while looping a new road circling the tennis complex?


Guess I need a lighten up.


when Mudcats agree to move to Wilson, take 5 County Stadium
Glasswolf
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D33z said:

With what money ?

Francis said:

Amazing that all SEC stadiums look like AAA minor league stadiums. To expand Doak concourses and fan amenities, can the road between Doak and tennis complex be used to expand Doak while looping a new road circling the tennis complex?

As old as it is, the old Durham Bulls ballfield is larger and nicer than Doak, even after our renovations are completed.

I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.


Nairo
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metcalfmafia
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Glasswolf said:

D33z said:

With what money ?

Francis said:

Amazing that all SEC stadiums look like AAA minor league stadiums. To expand Doak concourses and fan amenities, can the road between Doak and tennis complex be used to expand Doak while looping a new road circling the tennis complex?

As old as it is, the old Durham Bulls ballfield is larger and nicer than Doak, even after our renovations are completed.




What makes that nicer? The fact that is it shade?
Glasswolf
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metcalfmafia said:

Glasswolf said:

D33z said:

With what money ?

Francis said:

Amazing that all SEC stadiums look like AAA minor league stadiums. To expand Doak concourses and fan amenities, can the road between Doak and tennis complex be used to expand Doak while looping a new road circling the tennis complex?

As old as it is, the old Durham Bulls ballfield is larger and nicer than Doak, even after our renovations are completed.




What makes that nicer? The fact that is it shade?
Maybe nicer isn't the correct word. It is bigger capacity wise. It has a lot of things people are asking for like the covered grandstands. Point is, even after the next 2 phases of renovations, Doak is still going to be 20 years behind other stadiums in our own state. Look at UNC, ECU and some other places. I'm not even taking into consideration Clemson and other schools in the conference.
I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.


poexcuse
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IT makes sense to see this discussion on a forum called "Pack the Doak". But... The SEC's massive TV/football money drives other athletics expenditures. Baseball does not come near covering it's expenses. It is not at all clear where athletic funding is going at NC State. What we're doing is making facility improvements with private funds. That works. We still have to be careful not to create new costs that we can not cover. Operating cost increases with no offsetting revenue source are not what we need. If we get in on the football gravy train, the "non revenue" sports will enjoy the ride.
Nairo
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I think the problem folks have with the planned renovations have a lot to do with how the original renovation was done, which limits what we can do today unless we just tear it down and start from scratch.

1) The press box was pushed too close to the field, leaving only a few rows of seats behind home plate. It gives the appearance of a very small stadium and there are no options to alter this without rebuilding the press box entirely.

2) Not having a shade covering also contributes to the small facility feeling and makes it unbearable to sit through games when the temperature rises above 85

3) Lack of amenities and overflow/alternative seating options in the outfield with this new plan is an area we've fell short in the wow factor

My bigger concern is a lack of long term/holistic vision for athletics facilities, which schools like VT, Clemson, Vanderbilt and Louisville have recently announced. All of them have unveiled nine figure capital investment and fundraising campaigns for athletics that are ambitious, visionary and bold. This was something Corrigan stated as a priority from day one on the job, it is referenced in the strategic plan, but we've yet to see anything. Instead we continue to do these one off projects where we struggle to raise the money. Several years ago the university announced its major campaign ("Think and Do the Extraordinary") to boost the endowment and the alumni responded to the tune of over a billion dollars, and did all of this two years ahead of schedule.

Athletics needs to do the same: define the vision, set the goal amount and get alumni energized to give for something tangible and real that we can get excited about.
wilmwolf
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How many 85 degree days are there during baseball season? Covered seating is nice, but 60,000 people manage to make it 3.5 hours through football games when it is 95 degrees with no cover, are baseball fans more soft? The stadium looks fine visually to me. There is charm in being a smaller park, and the fact is that even at tht current size, it is no where near full for most of the season. The improvements that are really needed are things that the fans can't see, the things that are really holding us back as a program, ie the advanced pitching facilities and player amenities, and that's what this project is mostly about. Hopefully when completed it will help level the playing field when it comes to getting elite pitchers, which is what this program really lacks compared to our competitors.
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Pakbackr
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Pakbackr
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I love how most of the SEC teams' stadiums have fans sitting almost on field level. I seriously wonder how much that would add to Doak...simply to add 4-5 rows down from the current stands right down to field level? I think it would add about 4-500 seats, which could be made premium. Having fans right down on the field seems to really add to the atmosphere in the SEC parks.

There may not be sufficient room to do this and keep the fence where it is, but extend where you can and go up in other areas if necessary. I think it would create something special and unique.
I40Wolf
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wilmwolf80 said:

How many 85 degree days are there during baseball season? Covered seating is nice, but 60,000 people manage to make it 3.5 hours through football games when it is 95 degrees with no cover, are baseball fans more soft? The stadium looks fine visually to me. There is charm in being a smaller park, and the fact is that even at tht current size, it is no where near full for most of the season. The improvements that are really needed are things that the fans can't see, the things that are really holding us back as a program, ie the advanced pitching facilities and player amenities, and that's what this project is mostly about. Hopefully when completed it will help level the playing field when it comes to getting elite pitchers, which is what this program really lacks compared to our competitors.


My seat this year was behind home plate about halfway up. It is unbearable there if it's 65 degrees and the sun is out. If it gets into the 80s more than a few folks, including me, sit somewhere else.
Packsd14me
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wilmwolf80 said:

How many 85 degree days are there during baseball season? Covered seating is nice, but 60,000 people manage to make it 3.5 hours through football games when it is 95 degrees with no cover, are baseball fans more soft? The stadium looks fine visually to me. There is charm in being a smaller park, and the fact is that even at tht current size, it is no where near full for most of the season. The improvements that are really needed are things that the fans can't see, the things that are really holding us back as a program, ie the advanced pitching facilities and player amenities, and that's what this project is mostly about. Hopefully when completed it will help level the playing field when it comes to getting elite pitchers, which is what this program really lacks compared to our competitors.
Rain and cold are more the issue to sit through in the spring for baseball. I think the answer as Francis said the other day is to extend Sullivan drive to the other side of the tennis courts and use the road area to expand the first baseball side, press box, home plate and concessions. Add bleachers in the outfield and we look like a modern day college stadium. If we can cover a small portion, it will look competitive to other good college venues.
wilmwolf
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I40Wolf said:

wilmwolf80 said:

How many 85 degree days are there during baseball season? Covered seating is nice, but 60,000 people manage to make it 3.5 hours through football games when it is 95 degrees with no cover, are baseball fans more soft? The stadium looks fine visually to me. There is charm in being a smaller park, and the fact is that even at tht current size, it is no where near full for most of the season. The improvements that are really needed are things that the fans can't see, the things that are really holding us back as a program, ie the advanced pitching facilities and player amenities, and that's what this project is mostly about. Hopefully when completed it will help level the playing field when it comes to getting elite pitchers, which is what this program really lacks compared to our competitors.


My seat this year was behind home plate about halfway up. It is unbearable there if it's 65 degrees and the sun is out. If it gets into the 80s more than a few folks, including me, sit somewhere else.


Thank you for your perspective. You would really hate watching a football game from my east side upper deck seats for sure. According to the schedule this year, 60 percent of our home games started at 3pm or later, and our last home game was played May 20. I still don't think covered seating should be a priority, and we know from this thread that it isn't a possibility at the current location due to infrastructure. Some of the renderings showed tents or awnings in the fan areas, maybe those areas would be more suitable for folks who don't want to sit in the sun.
Just a guy on the sunshine squad.
The Gatekeeper.
Homer Dumbarse.
StateFan2001's favorite poster.
I40Wolf
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wilmwolf80 said:

I40Wolf said:

wilmwolf80 said:

How many 85 degree days are there during baseball season? Covered seating is nice, but 60,000 people manage to make it 3.5 hours through football games when it is 95 degrees with no cover, are baseball fans more soft? The stadium looks fine visually to me. There is charm in being a smaller park, and the fact is that even at tht current size, it is no where near full for most of the season. The improvements that are really needed are things that the fans can't see, the things that are really holding us back as a program, ie the advanced pitching facilities and player amenities, and that's what this project is mostly about. Hopefully when completed it will help level the playing field when it comes to getting elite pitchers, which is what this program really lacks compared to our competitors.


My seat this year was behind home plate about halfway up. It is unbearable there if it's 65 degrees and the sun is out. If it gets into the 80s more than a few folks, including me, sit somewhere else.


Thank you for your perspective. You would really hate watching a football game from my east side upper deck seats for sure. According to the schedule this year, 60 percent of our home games started at 3pm or later, and our last home game was played May 20. I still don't think covered seating should be a priority, and we know from this thread that it isn't a possibility at the current location due to infrastructure. Some of the renderings showed tents or awnings in the fan areas, maybe those areas would be more suitable for folks who don't want to sit in the sun.
The last year I sat on the east side was the year Torry Holt beat FSU. In fact we moved to the west side at halftime it was so uncomfortable.

Been on the west side since. And I understand the bathrooms are better.
Nairo
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Our lack of aesthetic renovation on the public facing east side, let alone the bathroom debacle, for 57 years is one of life's great mysteries. It's like having a 5,000 square foot house with weeds and rusted car parts in your front flower bed.
Wolfer79
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Pakbackr
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Just looking at the stadiums in these Super Regionals makes you realize just how far behind the curve State's facilities are. If you ever see Doak host another Super Regional, it will be a miracle!
Alex Gee
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Staff
Worth a read. The Athletic ran a piece recently as well.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2023/06/19/Portfolio/technology.aspx
Daviewolf83
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Staff
ESPN just had the director of the pitching lab on during the Wake/Stanford game. She has a PhD in biomechanics and specialized in upper-body movement. She is employed by Atrium/Baptist Hospital and works with Wake's pitching coach and staff in analyzing the pitcher's motion and mechanics.

If State wants to do something similar, they have to do more than just build the facility. As I have said in previous posts, they also have to staff it with people who understand biomechanics. I worry State will build a lab and then not staff it with the people necessary to make it as useful as it could be. I would think State has a professor or two with PhD's that would could run the pitching lab.

The equipment in the lab can also be used for other sports. For example, analyzing kicker and punter movements and work with QB's on throwing motion. As I mentioned before, the equipment in Wake's lab can be moved to other facilities. They used it a couple of years ago (2021) to analyze the motion of kickers and punters, while they went through an analysis workout in their indoor practice facility. The information was collected and sent to the kicker's private kicking coach for analysis and changes to mechanics. I would think State could do the same thing and they need to design the lab in a way that facilitates multi-sport usage.
Glasswolf
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Daviewolf83 said:

ESPN just had the director of the pitching lab on during the Wake/Stanford game. She has a PhD in biomechanics and specialized in upper-body movement. She is employed by Atrium/Baptist Hospital and works with Wake's pitching coach and staff in analyzing the pitcher's motion and mechanics.

If State wants to do something similar, they have to do more than just build the facility. As I have said in previous posts, they also have to staff it with people who understand biomechanics. I worry State will build a lab and then not staff it with the people necessary to make it as useful as it could be. I would think State has a professor or two with PhD's that would could run the pitching lab.

The equipment in the lab can also be used for other sports. For example, analyzing kicker and punter movements and work with QB's on throwing motion. As I mentioned before, the equipment in Wake's lab can be moved to other facilities. They used it a couple of years ago (2021) to analyze the motion of kickers and punters, while they went through an analysis workout in their indoor practice facility. The information was collected and sent to the kicker's private kicking coach for analysis and changes to mechanics. I would think State could do the same thing and they need to design the lab in a way that facilitates multi-sport usage.
As far as in game interviews that they tend to do during these games, that ranked at the top. Very interesting info.
I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.


BobbyCox95
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wilmwolf80 said:

There is charm in being smaller…..


Suuuuuure. That's what I tell myself as well.

Bottom line is, our park may seem charming to us but the fact is it's a rinky dink Jv stadium compared to the schools we are going up against. The pitching lab, playing surface, etc are great but we need to make the rest of the stadium to look like we are serious about baseball. 2500 capacity with zero fan amenities is a joke for an ACC school with 2 CWS appearances in the last 10 years
I40Wolf
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Any photos or information on the Phase II improvements that are going on now?
wilmwolf
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BobbyCox95 said:

wilmwolf80 said:

There is charm in being smaller…..


Suuuuuure. That's what I tell myself as well.

Bottom line is, our park may seem charming to us but the fact is it's a rinky dink Jv stadium compared to the schools we are going up against. The pitching lab, playing surface, etc are great but we need to make the rest of the stadium to look like we are serious about baseball. 2500 capacity with zero fan amenities is a joke for an ACC school with 2 CWS appearances in the last 10 years

Ha, dick jokes, funny. Phase three of the renovations being discussed in this thread are fan amenities, so you just have to give money and have patience, because there will be upgrades there as well.
Just a guy on the sunshine squad.
The Gatekeeper.
Homer Dumbarse.
StateFan2001's favorite poster.
 
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