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]

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

See also

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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 2016 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 2016. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2016 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2016 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 in June 2016.

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 ]


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