Devon Park (stadium)

Last updated

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.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Seminoles</span> Athletic teams representing Florida State University

The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level, primarily competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for all sports since the 1991–92 season; within the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a divisional format since the 2005–06 season.

<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.

The 2007 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 17 through June 4, 2007. 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

<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 ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 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 ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 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 2018 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 18 through June 6, 2018 as the final part of the 2018 NCAA Division I softball season. Thirty-two teams were awarded automatic bids as champions of their conferences, and the remaining 32 were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2018 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. This was the first year since the 2010 Women's College World Series that neither the Florida Gators nor the Oklahoma Sooners made the Championship Series. The Florida State Seminoles played in their first Women's College World Series Championship Series and became the first ACC team to make the Championship Series. The Washington Huskies made their fourth appearance in the Championship Series.

The 2000 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held 18 through May 29, 2000, as the final part of the 2000 NCAA Division I softball season. The tournament culminated with the 2000 Women's College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

The 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 31 to June 4, 2019, as the final part of the 2019 NCAA Division I softball season. Thirty-two teams were awarded automatic bids as champions of their conferences, and the remaining 32 were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2019 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The UCLA Bruins won their 13th championship, defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in two games.

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.

<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 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.

The 2022 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 20 through June 9, 2022, as the final part of the 2022 NCAA Division I softball season. The tournament culminated with the 2022 Women's College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

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. ↑ https://www.koco.com/article/usa-softballs-stadium-devon-park/60715286


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.