Veterans Memorial Stadium gets an upgrade

CEDAR RAPIDS — One by one, Cedar Rapids Kernels players exited the back door to their clubhouse and walked 20 feet or so through the front door of The Annex.

There they awaited coaches to join them in order to get in some batting practice. Indoor batting practice.

“This is nice,” one player said to a teammate.

“Real nice,” the teammate responded.

That seems to be the consensus. An offseason of construction has produced improvements of various kinds to Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Annex actually is an adjacent building that houses two full batting cages, a new weight-training facility, bathrooms, a video room and family room for family and friends to congregate as they await for players after games.

“I saw a few pictures, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in person. It looks good,” said Kernels Manager Brian Dinkelman. “They did a nice job. Cages out there, with a weight room. More room in the back. A conference room. Yep, it’ll be good.”

Improvements also included a new playing surface at Memorial Stadium and new massive scoreboard/videoboard to replace a nine-year-old one that had become obsolete and was damaged by the August 2020 derecho.

Obviously fans will be able to see that when they come out to the ballpark for the home opener Tuesday night (6:35 first pitch) against Quad Cities. What they won’t be able to see immediately is The Annex and everything else on the ground floor of the stadium that was worked upon.

The home clubhouse is physically larger with new couches and televisions. The old weight-training room has been turned into a lounge, where players can relax, eat, watch TV and even play some foosball.

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Across from the lounge is a meeting room, with a TV and enough chairs for the entire team. The visitors clubhouse, too, is physically larger, with a larger manager’s office, coaches office and trainer’s area.

A room/office for female personnel who might come into town has been added across the hallway from the clubhouses. Walls were knocked down, space repurposed, and it looks really, really nice.

“I think everything went real well over the offseason,” said Kernels General Manager Scott Wilson. “I wasn’t sure, for the life of me, how we were going to get all that done in what was a short six to 6 1/2 months that we had from the get-go. But Mother Nature was kind to us.

“I think The Annex, with the hitting tunnels, the weight room, the video room just came out terrific. I can’t wait until tomorrow when the first visiting team comes in. Hopefully we’ll get some good comments from some of those folks.”

The Kernels are now up to every specification set by Major League Baseball when the local club signed a 10-year Player Development License with the Minnesota Twins to remain in affiliated baseball.

The improvements had a hefty price tag of $3.34 million, money that came from the Kernels and the city. The Kernels are owned by a cadre of local men and women and run as a non-profit, with any annual excess funds funneled back into the ballclub.

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“I want to say that it’s still the majority of the Midwest League, over 50 percent of the league, that filed for extensions, giving them the opportunity not to be done until 2025. Though they did have to have a female room available this year,” Wilson said. “We were just fortunate. We were ahead of the game.

“Two years ago we got those blueprints approved (by MLB). You just have to when you are working with a municipality. The request for money, the budget, those kinds of situations. We were just a little further in advance. MLB told me we were one of the first two or three teams to have our blueprints approved. I’m interested in seeing our team go on road trips and come home and be very complimentary of what we have.”

Wilson said it’s very much a relief to know the Kernels are up to code and in the good graces of the Twins and Major League Baseball. Fans will be invited next Tuesday (April 18) to come to the ballpark and see all of the improvements, sans the home clubhouse

“We now have a facility that meets or exceeds in some cases MLB standards,” he said. “Hopefully they won’t be changed anytime soon. We’re ready to roll.”

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com