‘Backyard Decks’ to be added to provide more standing room areas for KU baseball
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- KU is adding three standing-room-only Backyard Decks in right and right-center field.
- The Backyard will add bleachers, and the former bullpen will be reserved for standing.
- The concourse will extend into parking lots on first and third base with extra restrooms.
Kansas Athletics is adding additional seating and standing-room-only areas for NCAA Super Regional baseball games between KU and Oklahoma set for Saturday, Sunday and Monday (if necessary), KU announced Wednesday night.
Three “Backyard Decks” that are standing room only will be located in right and right-center field, KU indicated in a release.
Also, the popular “Backyard,” a temporary seating/standing-room-only area located behind a chain-link see-through fence that was constructed for the recent NCAA Regional round of games, will include additional bleachers for the KU-OU contests.
The location of the visiting team’s bullpen, which was moved under the Rich Jantz Player Development Center for regional action, will remain at that new location. The previous location of the bullpen will for the second straight week be used as a reserved standing-room-only fan area.
With an increased capacity, the concourse for the second straight week has been extended into portions of the parking lot on the first and third base sides surrounding Hoglund Ballpark. There will be additional restrooms located in the extended concourse on the first and third base sides as well as in left field for The Backyard.
Additional concessions and food trucks will be implemented in each of those areas.
Tickets will be on sale to the general public beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, at KUathletics.com. All seating within the grandstands of Hoglund Ballpark will be reserved. KU indicated “all tickets are subject to availability and tickets for Super Regionals will be limited due to a higher ticket allotment for visiting teams, per NCAA policy.”
According to KU baseball’s X account, “the first 130 students with a valid KU ID can pick up a ticket for free beginning two hours before first pitch at the Allen Fieldhouse Ticket Office on gameday. After those 130 are claimed, students can purchase tickets for $10, based on availability.”
It has not yet been announced how the new areas for fans will affect total attendance figures for games. Hoglund, which normally seats, 2,500, drew crowds of 4,042 and 4,007 for games against Arkansas and 3,571 for Northeastern during the NCAA regionals. The 4,042 figure is KU’s new single-game record figure for attendance.
