Springs Brooks Stadium
965 One Landon Loop
Conway, SC 29526
The Coastal Carolina University baseball program, after playing at Myrtle Beach's TicketReturn.com Field at Pelican Ballpark for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, returned to campus in 2015 to play in the new Springs Brooks Stadium that is part of a $15.2 million renovation of both the baseball and softball program's facilities.
The close proximity of Spring Brooks Stadium to the $1.2 million Boni Belle Hitting & Practice Facility gives Coastal Carolina one of the best overall best overall baseball facilities in the nation.
The renovations, which began following the 2012 season, kept the current playing surface -- Vrooman Field -- intact while building new grandstands, restrooms, concessions stands, coaches offices, student-athlete locker rooms and lounges, team meeting space, former player locker room, umpire locker room, state-of-the-art $700,000 video board and scoreboard, video instruction system, athletic trainings room, laundry facilities, premium fan areas and media areas.
The 33,000-square-foot baseball project includes 2,500 permanent seats, with the potential to accommodate between 5,000-6,000 fans for events like an NCAA postseason tournament. The current configuration will accommodate the extra 3,000-plus fans as a result of grass berms down the right and left field lines and the City of Conway boardwalk around the outfield wall.
Springs Brooks Stadium officially opened on Feb. 13 as Coastal Carolina defeated Old Dominion 4-0 as part of the annual Caravelle Resort Tournament. Prior to the game, head coach Gary Gilmore threw out the ceremonial first pitch and kissed home plate.
"This has been a day that I have dreamed about for a long, long time," said head coach Gary Gilmore after the season-opening win. "This stadium, it's a culmination of a lot of dreaming, a lot of hard work and a lot of sweat by a whole lot of people. It's not just me. I'm a very blessed man.
"This facility has some of the best components from the top collegiate and minor league baseball stadiums in addition to having our own unique features," said Gilmore. "We will now have all the amenities college players are looking for in order to maximize their potential and realize their goal: playing in Omaha. I am very excited to see what this program can achieve, combining our tradition with what we now have in terms of facilities."
During their first season in the new ballpark, the Chanticleers posted a 21-12 home record with wins over the likes of then-No. 11 North Carolina, Clemson and then-No. 7 South Carolina. Additionally, the ballpark played host to the two largest regular-season, on-campus crowds in school history with a capacity crowd of 3,086 vs. South Carolina and a standing-room-only crowd of 2,825 vs. Clemson. The Chanticleers ended the regular season ranked 42nd in the NCAA in attendance.
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