The Bud Metheny Baseball Complex is a stadium on the campus of

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia w ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, USA. It is primarily used for

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, and is the home field of the

Old Dominion Monarchs baseball The Old Dominion Monarchs baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. The team is a member of the Sun Belt Conference, which is part of NCAA Division I. Old Dominion's f ...

team. The Monarchs are members of Conference USA. 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 S.B. Ballard Stadium, formerly Foreman Field, is a 21,944-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 Willi ...

, as the home of the baseball team. The ballpark is named after former Old Dominion head basketball coach, baseball

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

, and

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...

Bud Metheny Arthur Beauregard “Bud” Metheny (June 1, 1915 – January 2, 2003) was an American baseball player and coach. He played professional baseball for the New York Yankees (1943–46) and served Old Dominion University for 32 years as head baseba ...

, who worked for the university from 1948 to 1980 after an eleven-year stint in the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

organization including a

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

championship in

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

. 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 (commonly known as Millersville University, The Ville, or MU) is a public university in Millersville, Pennsylvania. It is one of the fourteen schools that comprise the Pennsylvania State System of Higher E ...

. The complex was not dedicated until April 25, 1984 with a game against the

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

Hokies. That night's crowd of 2,125 is the highest attendance in stadium history. The ballpark hosted the

Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament The Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Sun Belt Conference. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. After C ...

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 plays completed in a single game on May 14, 1985, with 7 during a home game against the

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Co ...

. There have been eight no-hitters pitched at the stadium, all completed by Monarch pitchers. As of the completion of the 2021 season, Old Dominion has a record of 850 wins and 370 losses at the Bud, for a winning percentage of .697. 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. The facility underwent an additional three million-dollar renovation for the 2011 season that erected a batters' backdrop in center field, locker room refurbishments and a beer garden. Renovations continued before the 2012 season included brick walls added down the foul lines, a clock above the scoreboard, and a custom outfield wall with images of former Monarchs who have played in the major leagues.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bud Metheny Baseball Complex Baseball venues in Virginia College baseball venues in the United States Old Dominion Monarchs baseball Sports venues in Hampton Roads Sports venues in Norfolk, Virginia 1983 establishments in Virginia Sports venues completed in 1983

See also

References