AA a part of Virginia Tech's ongoing commitment to the improvement of its athletics facilities, ground was broken in early January of 2008 on a series of renovations to English Field, the home of the Virginia Tech baseball team.

"Anytime you see a tractor and dirt getting moved around, you know there is an investment," head baseball coach Pete Hughes said of the renovation plans. "And anytime there is an investment, that's progress, because you know your administration believes in your program and they believe there's a place for baseball at Virginia Tech."

Part one of the project is the terracing of the grass-covered hill that runs down the third base/left field line. The hill has long been a favorite of Tech fans who wish to spread out and relax while watching the Hokies, but the hope of the renovation is to make it more comfortable and accessible. The terrace will end up looking much like one would see in an outdoor amphitheatre and will feature a series of steps/seating areas constructed with VERSA-LOK walls and sod-type pads. There will be about seven feet of space between each terrace, so there will still be plenty of room to put blankets down and for children to play. When all is said and done, the terraced hill will be able to comfortably accommodate a minimum capacity of 1,500 people, and it will also feature a walkway through the middle for easy wheelchair access. The terrace is expected to be completed in mid-March of 2008.

"I think the terracing adds a little class to our facility," Hughes said. "It's going to make English Field a nice, classy venue that appeals to our crowd - families and the student body. It's going to be unique in college baseball to add that much natural grandstand, and I don't know of anyone in the country that has that. I think it will add more excitement and it will make watching games a lot easier and more enjoyable."

Coinciding with the terracing project will be the realignment of the left- and right-field foul-line fences. Both will be cut in tighter to the playing field, significantly reducing the foul territory in the outfield. This change will not only provide a new element to the play on the field, but it will also allow the terraces to get a little closer to the action, both increasing room for attendance and giving fans a new and unique viewpoint from which to watch the game. This renovation requires the bullpens to be moved in as well, and they will be re-done with artificial FieldTurf to make them more permanent.

The final part of the renovation project will be the addition of an indoor batting facility, which will be built along the same line as the terraced hill, but out beyond the left-field fence near Rector Field House. The facility, which is hoped to be complete sometime in the fall, will be 80x100 feet and will be cut into the hill. The top floor of the building, which is where the batting area will be housed, will be level with Rector, and will have steps leading down the field level. It will include three areas for hitting and two areas for pitching. The bottom level of the building, built into the hill, will be a storage area for field maintenance equipment.

"We'll be able to develop guys much better with the hitting building," Hughes said. "Our guys will have a facility, that any time during the day, week or year, where they can go and get better at baseball. If you want to play in the ACC at the highest level in the country, you'd better be able to develop guys and give them the options to improve themselves at any time. This building is going to be of great benefit to our program."