Shenandoah University’s baseball and softball teams will soon have improved fields to call home.
On Monday, Shenandoah University entered into a partnership with the City of Winchester to assume the management of four baseball and softball fields in Jim Barnett Park.
Today is a great day for Shenandoah University and especially our baseball and softball programs. We have long wanted to have a first-class, all-weather facility that we would be able to use for hosting regional and national events and this agreement is a path forward to making that happen. We also want to be able to brand Bridgeforth and Rotary as Shenandoah facilities in much the same manner that we have done with the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics & Events Center and Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium.”
Director of Athletics Bridget Lyons, Ph.D.
The agreement stipulates that Shenandoah will manage the Bridgeforth and Bodie Grim baseball fields and Rotary and Henkel-Harris softball fields.
The university will invest nearly $5 million into the renovation of all four fields including artificial turf for Bridgeforth and Rotary. Future plans include new lights, expanded dugouts, batting cages and renovated press boxes.
Bridgeforth has been the Hornets’ home baseball field for the past 30 or more years. The program has shared the field with John Handley High School and the Winchester Royals of the Valley Baseball League.
The Royals, who play their season from June through August, will continue to use Bridgeforth while Handley will now use Bodie Grim as its primary home facility.
The Shenandoah softball team has played at Henkel-Harris Field for the past 20 years and moves to Rotary Field as part of this agreement.
Henkel-Harris will remain the home of the Handley softball and Winchester youth baseball programs.
Our baseball and softball student-athletes deserve to have a place they can truly call ‘home’, and we are so appreciative to everyone in city government and the parks department for working with us to come to this agreement. We look forward to deepening our already strong relationship with both parties.”
Director of Athletics Bridget Lyons, Ph.D.
