Monongalia Co. Ballpark


Main entrance to Monongalia Co. Ballpark, Aug-2015.
A view of the seating bowl from the outfield.
The view from directly behind the plate shows the university logo in the outfield.
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Quick Facts: Rating: 3 baseballs
The Jamestown Jammers relocated to this new stadium, not far from the campus of West Virginia University across the Monongahela River in Morgantown, for the 2015 season. The newly christened Black Bears share the facility with the college’s baseball team, a common setup that the club shares with its rivals in State College, Pa..

The field features artificial turf, which was necessary to accommodate a schedule that may begin as early as late February for the Mountaineers. The WVU logo is painted in the outfield.

Granville was omitted from the Major League Baseball restructuring of the minors for 2021, but the Black Bears will play on as members of the MLB Draft League, an amateur league featuring the top draft-eligible players from high school and college.

Getting to the Game

As of 2015, University Town Centre Drive had only one access, from a state secondary road that connects the I-79 freeway at interchange 155 with US 19 in downtown Morgantown. The park sits at the end of the hilly, winding street, about a mile from the entrance. More recently, the WVDOT Division of Highways has opened an interchange 153 off the freeway that brings fans much closer to the park.

There are paid parking lots next to the stadium for $3; however, many fans park up the hill in the lot of the rather large University Town Centre shopping plaza, which includes a Wal-Mart. From there, it is a relatively short walk down to the field, although the walk back up may be troublesome for elderly or less able spectators.

Watching the Game

There is no home plate entrance; most fans enter from Gate A behind left field or Gate C behind right field. There is a Gate B along the third base side but no tickets are sold there. Gate A, which includes the main ticket windows, is also the wheelchair-accessible entrance.

The concourse is surprisingly narrow and does not wrap around the outfield. Standing-room spectator areas do extend beyond the right-field foul pole behind the home team bullpen. This may be the most spacious area of the park, although it can be difficult to see the game from there. Some fans also watch from a beer garden down that line.

Views from down the third-base line are blocked by a wrought iron fence that helps keeps fans from encroaching on a steep berm beyond the end of the seating area, which only extends to either base. The berm has been deemed too steep for spectators to utilize.

The Black Bears sell a $1 “stat pack” with the rosters, stats, and day’s lineup. The public address announcer is good at announcing pitching changes, and the video board is also effective, so the serious fan should have no trouble following the game.

Enjoying the Game

While the Black Bears run the usual number of in-game promotions, there is very little else in the way of distractions. Sadly for families, even the kids’ play area is minimal or nonexistent.

Concessions seem rather high-priced, and the selection in the two main concourse stands is unbalanced. The line for the one stand that sells burgers, chicken fingers, etc., is often much longer than the line for the other stand, which is limited to hot dogs and the like.

More photos from 2015 in this Facebook album (public, no account required)
Game Date League Level Result
1398 Sat 8-Aug-2015 NY-Penn A- State College 2, WV BLACK BEARS 1, 10 inn
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This page updated 10-Dec-2020