Uptown Ballpark | |
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 Truist Field (Formerly BB&T Ballpark) | |
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  Truist Field Location within North Carolina Show map of North Carolina Truist Field Truist Field (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | BB&T Ballpark (2014–2019) |
|---|---|
| Address | 324 South Mint Street Charlotte, North Carolina United States |
| Coordinates | 35°13′41″N80°50′56″W / 35.227988°N 80.849011°W /35.227988; -80.849011 |
| Public transit |  3rd Street/Convention CenterMint Street |
| Owner | Mecklenburg County |
| Operator | Knights Baseball, LLC |
| Capacity | 10,200[1] |
| Record attendance | 11,211 (July 4, 2024, Baseball)[citation needed] |
| Field size | Left field: 330 feet (100 m) Center field: 400 feet (120 m) Right Field: 315 feet (96 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 14, 2012[2] |
| Opened | March 22, 2014 (2014-03-22)[5] |
| Construction cost | $54 million |
| Architect | Odell Associates in association with BallparkDesignAssociates[3] |
| Services engineer | Smith Seckman Reid, Inc.[4] |
| General contractor | Barton Malow/R. J. Leeper/Rodgers[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Charlotte Knights (IL/AAAE) 2014–present | |
Truist Field is abaseball stadium inCharlotte, North Carolina, United States.[6] TheUptown-area stadium hosts theCharlotte Knights, aTriple-AMinor League Baseball team in theInternational League. It is also the third sports building to be built in Uptown, afterBank of America Stadium (home of the NFL'sCarolina Panthers and MLS'sCharlotte FC) andSpectrum Center (home of the NBA'sCharlotte Hornets).
An Uptown stadium for the Knights had been a long-running saga in Charlotte, occasionally the subject of contentious debate. Since the dawn of the new millennium, the Knights had consistently had the worst attendance in theInternational League. Their stadium at the time,Knights Stadium, was located inFort Mill, South Carolina, 30 minutes south of Uptown Charlotte. Many fans were unwilling to brave the traffic onInterstate 77 to get there.
The project had been repeatedly blocked by Jerry Reese, a Charlotte lawyer who claimed the land swap was illegal.[7] Reese had ambitions to move aMajor League Baseball team to Charlotte and viewed a Triple-A sized stadium for the Knights as a detriment.[8]
In August 2006 the stadium became the source of more debate, asMecklenburg County commission chairmanParks Helms said he would stall an arts project until theCharlotte City Council looked at a proposal he backed to bring baseball to Uptown.[9]
Furthermore, it could expand theAtlantic Coast Conference's plans to return theAtlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament to Charlotte. The ACC tournament had been held at Knights Stadium until theNCAA's ban on South Carolina having predetermined championships took effect because ofNAACP pressure in relation tothe state's display of the Confederate flag on theState House grounds.
The former site of thePiedmont and Northern Railway'sInterurban Depot, which was razed before 1970 and had since been used for car parking and storage, was chosen as the location for the new ballpark in Uptown'sThird Ward.[10][11] Multiple newmid-rise hotels are expected to open in the area around the new stadium, along with restaurants and retail.[12]
The first event held at the ballpark was a media softball game, which took place on March 22, 2014.[5] The first Knights game took place on April 11, 2014.[13]
The stadium hosted the 2016Triple-A All-Star Game in which theInternational League All-Stars defeated thePacific Coast League All-Stars, 4–2.[14]
On January 31, 2018, Charlotte Knights Chief Operating Officer Dan Rajkowski announced that the Knights will host a total of six college baseball games during the upcoming season during the Sunbelt Rentals Collegiate Baseball Series. This is the most in the ballpark's history.
Truist Field hosted the2021 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament, May 25–30, 2021.[15][16] The 2020 games were scheduled to be held at Truist Field but were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[17]
In March 2023, the Paper Mill Pub opened at the ballpark as a year-round bar offering lunch and dinner.[18]
On January 13, 2024, Trust Field will host the Queen City Outdoor Classic hockey game between the Charlotte Checkers and Rochester Americans. This will be the Checkers' first outdoor game.
On April 23, 2012, it was announced thatBB&T, a bank based inWinston-Salem, acquired the naming rights for the new ballpark. The terms of the deal were undisclosed and the ballpark was afterwards officially referred to as BB&T Ballpark.[6]
In 2019, BB&T merged withAtlanta-basedSunTrust to formTruist, based in Charlotte; on June 11, 2020, it was announced that new name would be Truist Field.[19]
The stadium features a two-level club with skyline views as well as a VIP, climate-controlled club with full-service bar.[20] In total, there are 975 club seats and 22 luxury suites at the ballpark.[21]
As ahitter-friendly park, the ballpark had the highest home-run factor the International League and Triple-A from 2014 to 2016. Its hit factor was the highest in the league and the fifth-highest in Triple-A.[22] Knights general manager Scotty Smith said that due to the limited lot size, the foul lines are a few feet shorter than minor-league guidelines.
