Stadium tour gives glimpse at Holliday's excitement
STILLWATER — Josh Holliday was a tour guide, surveying the scene around him and pointing out tidbits that each drew their own flare of excitement out of his voice.
“I used to try to build this stuff out of a sandcastle or a set of Legos,” Oklahoma State's baseball coach said, “and now to see it in real life …”
Wednesday, Holliday's Cowboys will play their final home opener at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, their home ballpark since 1981. But two weeks before, Holliday gave a handful of media members a tour of their next home, O'Brate Stadium, only a couple of blocks away.
With guidance from two Manhattan Construction employees, Holliday made his way through the $60 million complex. A buggy ride from Manhattan's nearby trailer ended at what will become O'Brate Stadium's homeplate entrance. Holliday watched from there as a crane carefully placed a large light structure on the ballpark's third-base side, one similar to those above OSU's Boone Pickens Stadium.
Holliday hopes O'Brate Stadium will match its
football and basketball counterparts in not only look — amber brick will soon encompass the complex in the same way it does Boone Pickens Stadium and Gallagher-Iba Arena — but also in feel.
“It's a unique ballpark that's got an Oklahoma State intimacy that we wanted,” he said. “Our first thought was the way you felt when you walked into old Gallagher-Iba and people felt like they could reach out and touch the players.
“We took in all the things that we think represent us, and then we tried to fold them together and build a one-of-a-kind facility, and that's what we set out to do, and every time I see it, I'm more and more convinced that we hit it out of the park.”
Pointing out eventual dining options, Holliday made his way down the third-base portion of what will be a 360-degree concourse in O'Brate Stadium, one that will allow fans to see every pitch no matter where they stand in the ballpark.
He looked out on what will someday be a natural grass field, instead seeing dirt and construction equipment. But Holliday's imagination let him put the finishing touches on the cement framing of an outfield wall and the rising foundation of a seating bowl.
“Watching it get built, there's many days I just shake my head,” Holliday said. “You've got some things you kind of close your eyes and envision it happening right here on this field already.”
Now, such things are easier to picture. When Holliday first had conversations with athletic director Mike Holder about a new stadium, a complex that should stand among the best in college baseball exceeded what he believed to be possible.
“I never envisioned this,” Holliday said. “Maybe a dream, but never practically seeing it happen.”
Below field level, a ring of metal posts makes up what will become the Cowboys' locker room. Entryways lead from it to a “training triangle,” an area for players to prepare and develop.
Nearby, a large warehouse-style building of about 10,000 square feet will house pitching and batting lanes. Added technology will allow OSU batters to study their swing paths, exit velocities and launch angles, while Cowboy arms will track their pitches in a way not previously available to them.
Holliday said he is not impatient when it comes to O'Brate Stadium, but enthusiastic about how it and one final season at Allie P. will inspire his players. What once seemed distant, a future at a ballpark other than one he grew up at as a batboy, is nearly here. For now, Holliday is tempering his excitement. The final question he is asked is about what he sees when he thinks about O'Brate Stadium's opening day in 2020.
“I haven't thought that far ahead,” he said, “but I'm sure it'll be magnificent.”