ST. LOUIS, MO Tarlton Corp. completed construction on a new softball stadium for the Missouri Tigers softball team at University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri.

To celebrate its new home and usher in the spring softball season, the team hosted the 2017 Mizzou Tournament welcoming top talent from around the country at the new stadium. Situated in the Mizzou Sports Park, the facility is east of Hearnes Center and visible from Stadium Boulevard. It replaces University Field. 

Tarlton, which served as construction manager for the $17.5 million project financed primarily by private gifts, also provided preconstruction services. The team constructed the 20,000-square-foot facility on what was a commuter parking lot, redeveloping and transforming the space into the new softball stadium that provides fans with a full-view concourse, outfield plaza and new surface parking lot with more than 500 spaces. Work was completed  following construction of a separate, nearby university parking lot.

The structural steel-framed building stands on a concrete foundation with a concrete slab and metal deck and aluminum grandstands. It includes a press box, concessions, heated dugouts, a locker room with video capabilities and meeting room for coaches. The venue also features lawn seating on a berm beyond the outfield wall for additional spectators. 

Safety during construction was paramount, according to Cameron Denison, Tarlton Senior Project Manager, and the project logged no recordable safety incidents. 

"The team demonstrated a high level of commitment to project safety, as the construction site was situated in the middle of the parking area used for home basketball and football games," Denison said. "We worked closely with the university's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to secure the site and ensure safety for pedestrians and motorists attending other sporting events."

In addition to Denison, the Tarlton team also included Matt Pfund, Project Executive; John Doerr, Project Director; Garett Plotts, PE, Senior Project Engineer; and Chad Hartman, Project Superintendent. Lempka Edson Architects in Overland Park, Kansas, was project architect.

The softball stadium is Tarlton's second project on the Columbia campus. The firm recently completed an expansion and renovations to Lafferre Hall, home of the university's College of Engineering.