HICKORY, NC - The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team will be getting an upgrade next season, as a groundbreaking was held for the McCrorie Family Stadium, home of Shena Hollar Field.
"This is a game changer for LR Softball," said Coach Hollar." I'm very excited to have a new stadium and also honored to have the field named after myself. This comes from a lot of hard work and having good people associated with Lenoir-Rhyne softball. Everyone surrounding the program will benefit from the new stadium, from the players and coaches to the fans and media staff. LR softball has a great legacy and a bright future."
The renovation will feature new grandstands with stadium-style seating, dugouts, press box, scoreboard and sound system. In addition, there will be a new concession stand, new backstop and net system, outfield wall padding, two VIP viewing areas, and new restrooms. The stadium is named in honor of Hank McCrorie '60, and his wife, Bernice McCrorie, who made the lead gift in support of the project.
"Hank and Bernice share a passion for LR and LR Athletics," said University President Dr. Fred Whitt. "Their generosity will help ensure that our student-athletes continue to train and compete in top-notch facilities, and all of the Lenoir-Rhyne community thanks them for leading the way."
Bears Field has been home to LR softball for more than four decades. In 1998, it received new home and away dugouts with storage facilities, as well as a new press box. Prior to the 2008 season, a state-of-the-art scoreboard and permanent lights were installed. Bears Field has a current seating capacity of 200, which will increase to 500 with the new grandstands.
In Hollar's 25 years, LR has won 12 South Atlantic Conference regular-season conference titles and nine conference tournament championships. In addition, LR has appeared in the NCAA tournament 16 times. This past season, Hollar took home the softball's first ever Super Regional Title, eventually advancing all the way to the national semi-finals. In addition to last season's success, Hollar reached 1,000 wins for her career, with 978 of them coming at Lenoir-Rhyne. Last season, LR finished with a 25-3 home record, making Hickory one of the toughest places for opponents to play.
