Upgrades look to enhance SMS
♦ The baseball stadium will get a new video board and upgrades to existing signage prior to the start of the season.
Upgrades to State Mutual Stadium will soon bring the action even closer to those in attendance.
Minor league baseball fans in Rome will get a chance this year to see their favorite players up close and personal at the Rome Braves’ stadium with the addition of a new high-definition video board in left field.
While not as big as Truist Park’s 120-by-64 foot scoreboard, State Mutual Stadium’s
new 48-by-26.4 foot Daktronics video board will be around four times larger than the current video scoreboard, according to a release by the Rome Braves.
The new video board, as well as other enhancements, are set to be completed prior to the start of the 2020 season.
The display will be the second large video board at the stadium after a 16-by-40 foot screen was added to the
Miller Lite Marina down the third base foul line in 2017, which was the largest video board in Northwest Georgia at the time of its completion.
Another upgrade will be noticeable before fans even arrive at the stadium with a Daktronics display being added to the Rome Braves sign at the intersection of Braves Boulevard and Veterans Memorial Highway.
The “Go Braves” board in right field will also be upgraded and will be reconfigured with full LED video display capabilities.
The projected upgrades will be the most expensive improvements to the stadium since it was built for the Rome Braves’ inaugural season 18 years ago.
The addition of the new video board hopes to give fans a closer look at the action and allow for a better experience during betweeninning entertainment.
The stadium has also undergone improvements and renovations in recent years as part of the passage of a one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax by Floyd County voters in 2017.
The upgrades will be used in years to come as the Braves extended their lease agreement with Floyd County back in 2019 to use the stadium through 2025, with a fiveyear option that could extend the lease to 2030.
Prior to the start of this season, fans will also get a chance to interact with some players and personnel in the Atlanta organization when the Rome Braves host their annual Hot Stove Gathering on Monday at the Forum River Center.
Guests will include Rome Braves Vice President and General Manager David Cross, Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker, Rome Braves manager Matt Tuiasosopo, former Rome player Drew Waters, Atlanta Braves Assistant Director of Minor League Operations Ron Knight and Atlanta Braves Scouting Coordinator Chris Lionetti.
The Braves’ season will get underway at SMS on April 9 as the team begins its second year with Tuiasosopo at the helm. They start with a four-game series against the Hagerstown Suns then host the Greenville Drive for a three-game series.
The Braves will also host the South Atlantic League All-star Game on June 23. The annual game pits the top players from the Northern Division and Southern Division and marks the end of the first half of the season.