Devon Park (stadium)

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Devon Park
Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame Park (Oklahoma City).jpg
Devon Park (stadium)
Full nameDevon Park
Location Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Coordinates 35°31′29″N97°27′49″W / 35.524796°N 97.463719°W / 35.524796; -97.463719
OwnerGovernment of Oklahoma City [1]
OperatorUSA Softball Inc.
Capacity 13,000
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened1987
Renovated2003, 2013–2015, 2018, 2020 [2] [1]
Tenants
Women's College World Series (NCAA) (1990–present)
Oklahoma City Spark (2023–present)
Big 12 Conference softball tournament (2017–present)

Devon Park, originally known as the Don E. Porter ASA Hall of Fame Stadium from 1987 to 2017 and USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, until 2024, is softball-specific ballpark located inside the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It seats 13,000 and is the site of the annual Women's College World Series. In 2023, Hall of Fame stadium also became home of the Oklahoma City Spark, the city's new professional softball team.

Contents

History

The complex includes 4 fields:

The complex is owned by the city and operated under a long-term lease by USA Softball with the exception of the office building, which USA Softball owns and uses for its headquarters. [1]

Devon Park originally opened in 1987 as the Don E. Porter ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. It was renamed in 2017 when the Amateur Softball Association rebranded to USA Softball. [3] The stadium underwent extensive renovations from September 2013 to 2015. [4]

Through 2017, it hosted two major college tournaments: the Big 12 Conference championship and the Women's College World Series, as well as the World Cup of Softball, one of the premier international softball events. The Big 12 decided to discontinue their tournament after 2010, however the Women's College World Series continued to be held there. In 2017 the Big 12 Conference decided to resume holding a conference tournament starting in the 2017 season; it was still be held at this location along with the USA Softball International Cup once all major renovations to the facility were completed in 2020. Oklahoma City will host the Women's College World Series through 2035, provided the city makes good on its promise to complete a four-phase renovation.

In late summer and early fall of 2018 a new two-story state of the art press box was built, and a new LED jumbotron video scoreboard was also added. Seating capacity (seating bowl and outfield bleachers) was further expanded in time for the 2020 Women's College World Series, ultimately not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest expansion brought the main stadium's capacity to 13,000. [1] The stadium adopted its current name in 2024, when locally-based oil and gas firm Devon Energy signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with USA Softball. [5]

In 2007, it was ranked the number eight sporting venue in the state of Oklahoma.

Devon Park will be the softball tournament venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Softball</span> US governing body for softball

USA Softball is the governing body for the United States national softball team. It is a member of the sport's international governing body, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). In addition, it oversees more than 150,000 amateur teams nationwide. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) is a volunteer, sports governing body and a nonprofit organization[2][3] based in Viera, Florida. Originally USSSA stood for United States Slowpitch Softball Association. However, in 1998, USSSA rebranded the name to United States Specialty Sports Association, because it expanded into other sports, including youth girls fastpitch, boys baseball, youth basketball, martial arts and more. USSSA governs 13 sports across the US, Puerto Rico, various US Military bases and Canada, and has a membership of over 3.7 million. In 2017, it generated $25.3 million in revenues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big 12 Conference softball tournament</span> Collegiate softball tournament

The Big 12 softball tournament is the conference championship tournament in college softball for the Big 12 Conference. Since its inception in 1996, the tournament has been played at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament. The Big 12 stopped holding a postseason conference tournament after the 2010 competition. In 2017, the Big 12 Conference revived the tournament, which is still hosted at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team represents the University of Oklahoma in NCAA Division I college softball. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference, and plays its home games at Love's Field in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners are currently led by head coach Patty Gasso.

The 1990 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1990. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 1990 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 1990 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 27, 1990.

The 2003 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in January 2003. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2003 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2003 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 26, 2003.

The 2004 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in January 2004. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2004 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2004 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 31, 2004.

The 2010 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2010. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2010 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2010 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 7, 2010.

The 2005 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2005. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2005 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2005 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 8, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Big 12 Conference softball tournament</span> College softball tournament

The 2017 Big 12 Conference softball tournament was held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK from May 12 through May 13, 2017. It was the first Big 12 softball tournament since 2010. Oklahoma won their fifth conference tournament and earned the Big 12 Conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I softball tournament.

The 2006 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2006. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2006 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2006 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 6, 2006.

The 2002 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2002. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2002 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2002 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 27, 2002.

The 2007 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2007. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2007 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2007 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 6, 2007.

The 2008 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2008. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2008 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2008 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 2, 2008.

The 2009 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2009. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2009 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2009 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 2, 2009.

The 2011 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2011. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2011 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2011 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 7, 2011.

The 2012 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2012. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2012 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2012 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 6, 2012.

The 2013 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2013. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2013 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2013 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 6, 2013.

The 2014 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2014. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2014 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2014 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 3, 2014.

The 2017 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2017. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2017 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2017 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held annually in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 4, 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hays, Graham (May 28, 2020). "How Oklahoma City, home of the Women's College World Series, became the center of the softball universe". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  2. ↑ "ASA Hall of Fame Complex Renovation" . Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  3. ↑ "ASA/USA Softball announces organization rename and rebrand to USA Softball and unveils new logo". USA Softball. June 30, 2015. Archived from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ "2013–15 Renovations". USA Softball official website. United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved June 4, 2017.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "OU, Oklahoma State softball coaches highlight bigger impact of USA Softball stadium name change". May 7, 2024.
  6. ↑ Roddy, Bella (June 21, 2024). "Oklahoma City Confirmed For Multiple Olympic Events". www.news9.com . Retrieved June 21, 2024.
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