During summer 2016, the Longwood University Real Estate Foundation purchased approximately six acres in downtown Farmville for the new baseball field and stadium. The university's 2025 Master Plan proposed the field's construction, but there isn't a set date for it to begin, according to Executive Director of Campus Planning and Construction Louise Waller.
“We don’t have an exact timeline for action right now. The first priority was to secure the property and then evaluate the planning process,” said Waller.
The site was once home to Buffalo Shook Co. Inc., located on West Third St. The land was purchased for $6.7 million dollars, according to Waller.
The goal of the 2025 Master Plan is to expand the campus to host 6,000 students by the year 2025. The current student population of Longwood is 5,096 students. Of the 5,096 students, 4,579 are undergraduates and 522 are graduates, according to Longwood’s website.
"It’s exciting to imagine spring or summer nights at the ballpark in downtown Farmville, with families from throughout the region watching a Longwood game, or perhaps even a minor league franchise the community might attract," said President Taylor Reveley IV on the Master Plan website.
Also in the Master Plan is the relocation of the softball fields to the area near Green Front Furniture in the near future, according to Waller. Waller also disclosed there is no current negotiation in progress for purchasing space for the new softball fields.
Along with the baseball and softball fields, Longwood has soccer, field hockey and lacrosse fields located on Johnston Drive near President Reveley’s residence. Due to the moving of the softball and baseball fields to downtown locations, the fields on Johnston Drive would be making a move as well, according to Waller.
“The plans are to be able, once we are able to relocate the softball and baseball fields into the downtown Farmville area, because the softball field will be closer to the Green Front area, we would move our fields from Johnston Drive area down to the south side of campus,” Waller said.
Waller shared that the moving of the fields into the downtown area of Farmville near the High Bridge Trail will be beneficial for the student body as well as the town.
“Having our baseball field right on the High Bridge Trail, in the Farmville downtown area will be a wonderful addition for our students and our community,” Waller said. “I think it’s one of the most exciting aspects of our master plan.”
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