Whitaker Field turns twenty-five this summer, and the old park is getting its biggest refresh in a decade: full LED lighting, a new grandstand sound system, resurfaced base paths and — most requested of all — twice as many restrooms behind the third-base concourse.
What changes
The LED towers cut warm-up time to seconds, kill the old buzzing flicker and light the field more evenly for night games — while using roughly half the power. The new sound system finally reaches the outfield bleachers, so announcements and the seventh-inning stretch land everywhere. Base paths get fresh clay and laser grading for truer hops.
"Everything fans love stays: the wooden grandstand, the river breeze, the $4 hot dogs. We just fixed everything they politely complained about." — Club Office
What stays
The volunteer-built grandstand isn't going anywhere, the manual scoreboard in left stays hand-operated, and kids still run the bases after every Sunday game. The work finishes in phases between homestands, so no dates move — opening night under the new lights is June 12 against Jacksonville.
Come judge the lighting for yourself. Friday nights all summer, first pitch 7:05 PM.
