Marshall Univ. gets state funding boost for baseball stadium

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Marshall University is getting a $13.8 million funding boost from the state of West Virginia to help finish construction of a baseball stadium.

Gov. Jim Justice announcing the contribution Thursday from the state Water Development Authority’s Economic Enhancement Grant program.

“This has been a long time coming, and I am so proud to play a small part in getting this project across the finish line” Gov. Justice said. “They’ve been talking about building a baseball stadium since I was a brown-haired kid playing golf at Marshall back in the 70s. Finally, it’s going to happen, and this community can get the monkey off its back.”

Marshall has never had an on-campus baseball stadium. The new facility will be built across the street from Marshall’s football stadium.

The stadium is expected to cost about $23 million. The city of Huntington and Marshall are contributing nearly $10 million, the governor’s office said in a statement.

Construction is scheduled to begin in October with a tentative completion date of March 2024.