Bud Metheny Baseball Complex
Encyclopedia
The Bud Metheny Baseball Complex is a stadium
on the campus of Old Dominion University
in Norfolk
, Virginia
, USA. It is primarily used for baseball
, and is the home field of the Old Dominion University
Monarchs NCAA
collegiate
baseball team. The Monarchs are members of the Colonial Athletic Association
. The ballpark has seating for 2,500 spectators in three sections of raised aluminum bleachers. The stadium complex also includes locker rooms, a concession stand, offices, four batting cages, a picnic area and a fully enclosed press box. The facility replaced the university's football stadium, Foreman Field
, as the home of the baseball team.
The ballpark is named after former Old Dominion head basketball coach
, baseball manager
, and athletic director
Bud Metheny
. Metheny worked for the university from 1948 to 1980 after an eleven year stint in the New York Yankees
organization including a World Series
championship in 1943
. He compiled a record of 423 wins, 363 losses and 6 ties as manager of the Monarchs. Metheny's jersey number, 3, has been retired by the university and is displayed on the right field wall of the stadium.
The stadium opened for the 1983 baseball season, with the first game being a 7-2 Old Dominion win over Millersville University
. The complex was not dedicated until April 25, 1984 with a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies. That night's crowd of 2,125 is the highest attendance in stadium history. The ballpark hosted the Sun Belt Conference
baseball tournament in 1983, 1985, and 1987, and the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament in 1994. Old Dominion defended home field and won the 1985 Sun Belt and 1994 Colonial championships. The stadium has also hosted multiple Virginia district and state
high school baseball tournaments. The Monarchs tied the NCAA record for double play
s completed in a single game on May 14, 1985 with 7 during a home game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
. There have been eight no-hitter
s pitched at the stadium, all completed by Monarch pitchers. As of the completion of the 2011 season, Old Dominion has a record of 589 wins and 258 losses at the Bud, for a winning percentage of .695.
The stadium received a new video/LED scoreboard for the 2009 season as part of a partnership between Old Dominion and CBS Collegiate Sports Properties. Additionally, the facility also underwent an additional three million dollar renovation for the 2011 season that added an indoor batting cage, erected a batters' backdrop in center field, locker room refurbishments and a beer garden.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
on the campus of Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
in Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, USA. It is primarily used for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and is the home field of the Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
Monarchs NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
collegiate
College athletics
College athletics refers primarily to sports and athletic competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education . In the United States, college athletics is a two-tiered system. The first tier includes the sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies...
baseball team. The Monarchs are members of the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
. The ballpark has seating for 2,500 spectators in three sections of raised aluminum bleachers. The stadium complex also includes locker rooms, a concession stand, offices, four batting cages, a picnic area and a fully enclosed press box. The facility replaced the university's football stadium, Foreman Field
Foreman Field
Foreman Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium is a 19,818-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary's Norfolk Division...
, as the home of the baseball team.
The ballpark is named after former Old Dominion head basketball coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
, baseball manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
, and athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
Bud Metheny
Bud Metheny
Arthur Beauregard “Bud” Metheny, was an American baseball player and coach. He played professional baseball for the New York Yankees and served Old Dominion University for 32 years as head baseball coach, head basketball coach and athletic director.Metheny was a graduate of the College of...
. Metheny worked for the university from 1948 to 1980 after an eleven year stint in the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
organization including a World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
championship in 1943
1943 World Series
The 1943 World Series matched the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees, in a rematch of the 1942 Series. The Yankees won the Series in five games for their tenth championship in 21 seasons. It was Yankees' manager Joe McCarthy's final Series win...
. He compiled a record of 423 wins, 363 losses and 6 ties as manager of the Monarchs. Metheny's jersey number, 3, has been retired by the university and is displayed on the right field wall of the stadium.
The stadium opened for the 1983 baseball season, with the first game being a 7-2 Old Dominion win over Millersville University
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Millersville, Pennsylvania, USA, 3 miles southwest of Lancaster. Millersville University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.-History:...
. The complex was not dedicated until April 25, 1984 with a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies. That night's crowd of 2,125 is the highest attendance in stadium history. The ballpark hosted the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
baseball tournament in 1983, 1985, and 1987, and the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament in 1994. Old Dominion defended home field and won the 1985 Sun Belt and 1994 Colonial championships. The stadium has also hosted multiple Virginia district and state
Virginia High School League
The Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
high school baseball tournaments. The Monarchs tied the NCAA record for double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s completed in a single game on May 14, 1985 with 7 during a home game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers is the name for all of the men's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for Western Kentucky University. Women's teams are known as Lady Toppers...
. There have been eight no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
s pitched at the stadium, all completed by Monarch pitchers. As of the completion of the 2011 season, Old Dominion has a record of 589 wins and 258 losses at the Bud, for a winning percentage of .695.
The stadium received a new video/LED scoreboard for the 2009 season as part of a partnership between Old Dominion and CBS Collegiate Sports Properties. Additionally, the facility also underwent an additional three million dollar renovation for the 2011 season that added an indoor batting cage, erected a batters' backdrop in center field, locker room refurbishments and a beer garden.