Texas Tech University Athletics
The New And Improved Dan Law Field
March 12, 2002 | Baseball
by Nicole Barba, Texas Tech Athletic Media Relations
Texas Tech's Dan Law Field has proven each year to be among the nation's top baseball facilities with its top-notch game atmosphere and outstanding fan support, with an average attendance of over 3,000 per year at home games. The field has also proven to be one of the toughest places for opponents to visit as the Red Raiders have posted seven seasons of winning over 80 percent of their home games.
No collegiate baseball game atmosphere matches the flavor of Texas Tech's Dan Law Field. From the moment the players are announced by fielding position to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck", until the game ending hymn after victories, no stadium compares in atmosphere to The Law. Fans have adopted certain rituals at games including "moshing" when certain players' at-bat music is played and acting out the infamous tunes when opposing pitchers are replaced. People have fun at Texas Tech games and in turn support their Red Raiders like no other place in college baseball.
Since Texas Tech Head Baseball Coach Larry Hays took over the program in 1987, the quality of play and the facilities have seen major upgrades. The ballpark was given the name Dan Law Field in 1988 after local businessman and Texas Tech graduate Dan Law. The facility has now become one of the most outstanding stadiums in all of college baseball and is a fan favorite.
The first item on the renovation agenda was the construction of a new ultra-modern light system that Law helped fund and lead toward becoming a reality. The current $300,000 lighting system is considered one of the finest among the nation's collegiate ranks. After that was the installation of one of head coach Larry Hays' pet project an Astroturf infield surface. The nine-year old Astroturf infield was one of Hays' requests to help recruit speed to his program. The 30,000-square feet of turf was installed at a cost of approximately $125,000 that included excavation, sub-basing and carpeting.
When the infield surface changed to Astroturf, the dimensions of the park also changed. Home plate is now 405-feet from straightaway center field, while down the lines, it takes a 330-foot blast to leave the yard over a 12-foot high fence.
Prior to the start of the 1992 season, other fan-appealing additions to the park were added to Dan Law Field. A new concession stand was constructed directly under the main grandstand, along with a ticket booth and rest room facilities, which sit just inside the main entrance.
Special care was taken with the renovations to help those with special needs, including reserved parking for handicapped fans, new hard-surface walkways and switchbacks ramps that gradually ascend to the main grandstands.
Thanks in part to the cooperation and donations of United Supermarkets, Lubbock Power & Light and Southwest Coca Cola Bottling Co., the athletic department made another addition to Dan Law Field for the 1993 season.
A high-resolution scoreboard/message board measuring approximately 50-feet by 25-feet stands in the outfield. The board features a 21-foot-by-9-foot four-color matrix that, along with a new computer system, enables fans to see the players and keep up with their statistics each time they come to the plate. Constant time and temperature readings are also featured on the board.
The renovations continued in 1994 as locker room facilities were constructed behind both the home (first base) and visitor (third base) dugouts.
Prior to the 2002 season, major renovations at Dan Law Field were completed. At a cost of $1.7 million a new clubhouse, outfield fence, major-league style bullpens, interior brick facade and a new exterior fence were added.
The newly finished state-of-the-art clubhouse offers players many luxuries found at major-league facilities. Some of the amenities include a dressing room with ceiling to the floor oak lockers, walk in showers and bathrooms, a big screen television complete with a VCR and PlayStation. Adding to the relaxed atmosphere are leather couches and chairs, five study tables, and a foosball table.
Also included in the new clubhouse is a self-sufficient training room with custom treatment and taping tables, an eight-person hot tub and a whirlpool. Other features include an indoor bullpen and the two indoor batting cages. A new full service equipment room has laundry facilities complete with plenty of storage, while the assistant coaches have new offices and a separate dressing room with showers and a bathroom.
"I really can't say enough about how thrilled and excited we are to have these renovations being done to our ballpark," said Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays. "I can remember a time when our ballpark was one of the worst in the country and now it is one of the best. Our players have one of the best clubhouses in all of college baseball and if you had ever been to our old one you can understand just how excited they are."
In 2002, the University will begin Phase II of the renovations that will feature a brick facade around the exterior of the stadium, to match the Spanish Renaissance style of the other campus buildings. A roof overhang will be added to the stadium, along with a new sound system that will make the sounds of the game more exciting to hear. Also, there will be a new high-tech scoreboard and state-of-the-art press box that will easily accommodate both written and broadcast press. Finally, Tech fans will enjoy watching baseball games in the newly updated luxury suites that will wrap around the rest of the stadium.
"The Texas Tech community really stepped up to the plate and hit a home run for us and they had a lot of support from some very key donors," remarked Hays. "I think that our fans are really going to enjoy some of the new amenities that we have planned and that Dan Law Field will be a place that families can come and enjoy good baseball in an inviting atmosphere at a very reasonable price. Our fans have been so good to us in the past and they have played a huge role in our successes and these additions to the ballpark are being done with them in mind."
These renovations will allow the Texas Tech baseball program to continue its winning ways at the conference and national level, something baseball fans in Lubbock have come to expect.
