Column: ODU says farewell to ‘The Bud,’ its venerable (and outdated) baseball stadium

So long, Bud.

You’ve seen a lot in your 41 years, but let’s be honest: It’s time you make way for something younger, hipper. And, you know, built this century.

Old Dominion University’s Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium hosts its final homestand this weekend when the Monarchs (26-21) play Sun Belt Conference opponent Appalachian State.

The finale, at 1 p.m. Sunday, is “Senior Night,” and that’s appropriate for a facility that is no spring chicken. ODU has dressed up the ol’ bird in recent years, in 2018 adding a Daktronics scoreboard and right-field Rally Alley that includes a grilling station and boardwalk patio.

But a new, and vastly improved, baseball facility will be built on its current site, and “The Bud” will sit out next season as ODU plays home games at Harbor Park and Hampton’s War Memorial Stadium and it’s gussied up for a 2026 debut.

ODU began fundraising for baseball stadium upgrades in 2022, after the school was unable to host an NCAA Tournament regional in 2021 because its stadium did not meet NCAA standards. The campaign raised nearly $19 million, and the facility will be renamed the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex, thanks to a $2.5 million donation from local businessman Dennis Ellmer and his wife, Jan.

Construction will begin soon, and judging from ODU’s proposal and an “animation” on its baseball website, the facelift will be worthy of a starring role in “Nip/Tuck” or “Extreme Makeover.”

The new digs will include improved locker rooms, a press box, offices, dugouts, luxury suites, upgraded seating behind home plate and expanded concessions and bathrooms. The stadium’s current aluminum bleachers — a literal pain in the butt for fans — will be replaced by chairback seats with a capacity of around 2,100.

The upgrades are mostly to improve fan amenities, including a new ground-level club with big-screen TVs, plush seating and an exit to a covered outdoor terrace, with tables and chairback seats. Some of the stadium’s exterior will be encased in “ODU brick,” the same style of brick used by the school on most of its newer campus buildings.

The new stadium will be at long last a home to match a program with a proud tradition: More than 80 ODU players have been selected in the MLB draft, including first-rounders Wayne Gomes and Justin Verlander.

Verlander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and former American League Most Valuable Player now with the Houston Astros, is one of four current major leaguers who played for ODU, along with pitchers Daniel Hudson and Ryan Yarbrough, who are teammates with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Former Monarch Matt Quatraro manages the Kansas City Royals, whose roster also features another former Monarch in first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino.

The new stadium also will boost a program that has been a regular conference contender under coach Chris Finwood. The Hampton native, who played for Hampton High and VMI, has guided ODU to 11 30-win seasons.

ODU was 26-21 heading into Friday’s series opener against App State and this season split two games against nationally ranked Virginia and East Carolina. The Monarchs, 2-1 against rival James Madison and 2-0 against VCU, are 20-10 at the Bud.

The baseball facility, though, in recent years hasn’t been worthy of the program, or its namesake — Arthur “Bud” Metheny, a legendary baseball and basketball coach and athletic director at ODU.

Metheny, who died in 2003, played for the New York Yankees — the Monarchs adopted Yankees-like uniforms with blue pinstripes as a tribute to him in 1984 — before arriving at ODU. He won 423 games as the Monarchs’ baseball coach and 198 in basketball and was inducted into the College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

On Sunday (Mother’s Day), ODU players’ moms will throw out a first pitch to their sons, and ODU alumni are invited to maybe take one more spin around the bases, or toe the old rubber one final time.

And finally, in 2026, the Monarchs will get a crown jewel worthy of the program’s tradition.

Bye, Bud, and can’t wait to see the new you.

Jami Frankenberry is the sports editor at The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press. Reach him at jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com