Opened April 5, 2000, Cowgirl Stadium became the new home for Oklahoma State University softball. The stadium includes 452 orange chairback seats and bleacher seating for 300. There is also a patio over the home team dugout where fans can stand and watch the game. The Cowgirls opened the stadium against Bedlam rival Oklahoma. A then record crowd of 750 fans were already packed into the stadium when Lauren Bay threw the first pitch at the new facility.Cowgirl Stadium was built at a cost of approximately $2 million on the same site as Cowgirl Field, the home of the Cowgirls for more than 20 years. Construction on the facility started on June 14, 1999. However, the plan had been in motion for much longer. When the OSU football game against the University of Nebraska was moved to Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 3, 1998, it was determined that the money made from the game's sponsor, Western Star, would finance the facility. The first phase of construction included new dugouts, a permanent concession stand, and bathroom facilities. Further additions were completed in 2002, including the coaches' offices, Cowgirl locker room, a players' lounge and training room located behind the home dugout. In 2004, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, complete with a message board center. A new infield was installed in 2005. Coach Kenny Gajewski and the Cowgirls continued to improve on the stadium by renovating the team’s clubhouse and locker rooms, as well as installing top-flight padding to the dugouts, among other ventures.
