Aggie Softball set to unveil Davis Diamond this weekend against Auburn
Click above to listen to Gabe Bock's interview with Jo Evans on TexAgs Radio this week.
The No. 11 Aggies, after playing softball at the Aggie Softball Complex since 1994, will begin a new chapter when they host Auburn for a three-game series at the newly constructed and opened Davis Diamond.
Named after longtime A&M supporters Becky and Monty Davis, donors of $28.6 million to help construct the facility, the stadium will hold up to 2,000 seats with two luxury suites among other accommodations for the players. Those accommodations include a 6,744 sq. ft indoor hitting facility with four batting cages, a visitor’s locker room and a brand new locker room.
Head coach Jo Evans said not only is she excited to play in the Davis Diamond, but also the stadium itself will change the way she recruits players.
“Well I think it’s made a difference,” Evans said. “It’s crazy in our sport because we are recruiting players so young, but it has been nice I’ll tell you — last year to be able to put those kids in a hard hat and a vest and get them over there on the construction site and to start to see just the magnitude of the project and what that means for A&M’s commitment to softball and commitment to our current staff and players. So it has made a difference.”
Former Aggie softball pitcher and Hall-of-Famer Amanda Scarborough said the Davis Diamond is a groundbreaking facility. The LSU Tigers, Oregon Ducks and Alabama Crimson Tide are a few other programs with some of the best facilities in the country, but the Aggies will be right there with them, she added.
“Davis Diamond will be the best stadium in the country,” Scarborough said. “Davis Diamond is setting a new standard for what to expect at a softball stadium, especially with all of the amenities included for the players and fans. This stadium will instantly create a "big time" feel for opposing teams who come in and all fans visiting the stadium.”
Aggie first baseman Tori Vidales as a senior is excited to say the least about the Davis Diamond. After seeing the stadium constructed from the ground up, Vidales said it will be special to play her final home series in maroon there.
“It’s so exciting to get to be able to play on it, especially being the first ones,” Vidales said. “And I think it’s really special too because we’ve got to see it from the ground up. We’ve seen literally when they started digging, we were like, ‘Oh my gosh they’re digging,’ you just get so excited. And then the walls start to go up and the cement and then the scoreboard and the fields done — we were excited when the field was done, just seeing it all come together. And even now when we go over there for practice to get used the field it’s like, ‘Wow I can’t believe this is going to be done and it’s going to be filled with people and they’re going to here cheering for us.’”
Additionally, Friday night’s game against the Auburn Tigers is sold out; there will be plenty on deck to watch this crucial SEC series. As it stands now, the Aggies are in fifth place in the conference, with Auburn just a game behind them with the SEC Tournament just around the corner.
First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game can be seen on the SEC Network +.
