Hawkeyes ramp up plans for baseball stadium renovation

IOWA CITY — Nearly two years after first bringing to the Board of Regents its intentions to renovate the nearly 50-year-old Duane Banks Baseball Stadium, the University of Iowa this week released renderings and details not shared before — including its plans to double the stadium’s size and construct a new and larger “seating bowl.”

The updated Duane Banks renovation plans now have it costing $27.4 million, according to regent documents, representing as much as a 46 percent increase over the initial $18.8 to $20 million cost estimate from 2022.

The renovation also will expand the field’s permanent seating from 2,100 to 2,492.

When additional bleachers are brought in, Duane Banks currently can seat 3,000. “The opportunity to increase capacity, for specific events, with additional bleachers will still exist,” officials said.

The renovations are needed badly, according to the UI Athletics request for regent approval of the project’s design, description and budget. Right now, the field doesn’t meet state building code or plumbing requirements, according to the documents.

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“Duane Banks Baseball Stadium needs an update and an expansion to improve player development, recruitment and the guest experience, including accessibility and adequate restroom facilities,” according to the request. “Additionally, the baseball stadium is too small, has poor guest seating, and does not have the required amenities in the press box.”

The renovation would fix that with a larger press box, new seating bowl, updated entrance, renovated sprinkler system and expanded restrooms — outfitting it with Americans with Disabilities Act-complying ramps, seats, bathrooms and an elevator.

The project — to be funded with both donations and athletics revenue — would boost the stadium’s square footage from 6,100 to 12,383.

Although originally planned to start several months ago in June and finish by April, a timeline now has construction beginning this fall and wrapping in spring 2025.

“The contractor would work with Iowa baseball to minimize relocation,” according to the request. “Use of the baseball field is expected to be maintained during construction.”

Athletics construction boom

The baseball project adds to the growing list of UI Athletics construction underway or upcoming, including a $20 million training center for the UI women’s gymnastics team and spirit squad; $31 million new Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center; $4 million Iowa Soccer Complex; and $2.5 million update to the locker room area of the football performance center.

UI Athletics also is enhancing its 40-year-old Carver-Hawkeye Arena with concession, restroom and seating upgrades. And it is conducting a feasibility study for a new field hockey building next to Grant Field that would include locker rooms and a press box.

The projects are being funded through a mix of donations and athletic revenue, with Hawkeye athletics over the summer projecting record-breaking income in the current budget year — reaching $140.3 million, up 9 percent over last year’s record $129 million.

That’s a marked recovery over the years hampered by the pandemic, when UI Athletics cited deficits necessitating the elimination of men’s gymnastics, tennis and swimming and the need for a $50 million loan from the main UI campus.

To date, UI Athletics has paid back $4.5 million of that loan, officials told The Gazette.

No new stadium

In asking for permission to renovate the baseball stadium, UI officials said they explored building a new one in a new location — but the cost would top $82 million.

“A new stadium would not be feasible when supported solely by gifts to the Athletics Department, given the cost of a new stadium would be more than three times that of this proposed renovation and modernization,” the documents state.

The existing location, which is near the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, additionally, is ideal — given its centrality and parking have helped make games accessible. “The team’s success has garnered large crowds and positive attention on campus,” according to the request, noting the renovation would eliminate $300,000 in “building renewal costs.”

The Hawkeye baseball team has made the postseason in each of the past seven seasons — averaging 32 wins a year, appearing in three NCAA regionals and winning its first Big Ten title in program history. Iowa is 125-40 since 2015 at Duane Banks Field.

“These renovations will align with the championship level of performance we’ve seen inside the stadium,” Interim Athletics Director Beth Goetz said in a statement.

Other recent renovations at Duane Banks include new lights in 2002, followed by AstroTurf and an updated video board in 2014-2015.

“Updating the stadium’s amenities will improve the guest experience,” UI Vice President for Finance and Operations Rod Lehnertz said. “The stadium has served as home to Iowa baseball for nearly half a century. It has played host to Iowa high school baseball state tournaments, and it is due for an update that will serve student-athletes and guests for years to come.”

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