Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.57
Lady Pirates Softball Stadium Emancipation Drive Hampton, VA 23669
Year Opened: 1988
Capacity: approx. 500
All Ahoy for Pirate Softball!
Hampton University is a historically black college (HBCU) located in Hampton, Virginia, in the southeast portion of the state. The school was founded in 1868 and is considered one of the Black Ivies.
Hampton’s athletic teams, the Pirates and Lady Pirates, previously competed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference MEAC) along with many other HBCUs. However, in 2018, the school moved to the Big South Conference. before moving to the Coastal Athletic Conference (CAA) in 2022.
Hampton's softball team plays at the appropriately named Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. This turf field on the Hampton campus is a small, intimate environment. Originally a grass field, it was later converted to artificial turf.
Food & Beverage 0
There is no food or drink for sale at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. Fans are free to bring their own, and many do.
Atmosphere 3
Walking into the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium will put you on a concourse of sorts, although there is not much here other than restrooms and some storage areas. From there, you will walk up steps or a ramp to the seating area. Several sets of bleachers are arranged around home plate. As there are only a few rows, you will have an excellent view of the action anywhere you sit, though you will be watching from behind a net due to the proximity to home plate and speed of the balls off the bat. A scoreboard in the outfield also shows the linescore for up to ten innings, even though softball is typically only seven notwithstanding extra innings.
Music is played during breaks in the action, although not intrusively. There is energy from the crowd and the players in the dugouts, but in terms of what the team provides, this is a pretty standard experience.
Neighborhood 3
Lady Pirates Softball Stadium is located on the Hampton University campus, so you will have to travel at least a little bit to find much of anything. The campus is bounded by a highway on one side and water on the others, so there is not much nearby other than a small strip mall with a few places to grab a quick bite. Your best option is to drive a few miles to the Coliseum area. In addition to the Hampton Coliseum itself, you will find many hotels and restaurants. The Coliseum neighborhood is nice enough, but its distance from campus is a downside in this category.
The City of Hampton Hampton is at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula, sometimes known as the Lower Peninsula to avoid confusion with Virginia's Middle and Upper Peninsulas, but most often known locally as simply "The Peninsula". It is part of the Hampton Roads area, which can refer to both the region as a whole and the harbor that divides it. Across the harbor, you will find Norfolk, and beyond that, Virginia Beach. If you go to a game late in the season, you can drive about 40 minutes down I-64 to the beach and make a weekend getaway out of it, but early in the season, the weather and water temperature will not be desirable.
Fans 3
The Hampton Lady Pirates typically draw a couple hundred fans a game, although in the small stadium, it can feel quite full. While they are small in number, Hampton fans bring the passion, constantly shouting and cheering the team and individual players. Many of them are friends and family of the players, but there are some locals as well. At big moments such as after Hampton RBIs, it can get quite loud in here with all the fans cheering wildly. Expect Lady Pirates fans to bring the passion for the full seven innings here.
Access 4
Getting onto the Hampton campus is extremely easy. Take Exit 267 off Interstate 64, head straight through the light at the end of the exit ramp, and you’re already on campus. Parking is available in a large lot near the Convocation Center across the street from the stadium. There is a small lot right next door that some GPS apps will try to direct you to, but this is reserved for gameday personnel such as umpires and you are not allowed to park there. The Convocation Center lot has more than enough spaces, however, and it is clearly signed where softball fans should park.
Once inside, it is easy to move around up and down the aisles and stairs, and there are wheelchair-accessible seats at the bottom of the bleachers. Restrooms are on the concourse and are of a more than sufficient size from the crowd.
Return on Investment 5
Admission to Hampton softball games is free, and there are no other costs associated with attending beyond parking. As a result, a game here is a great value.
Extras 0
There are no real extras here. It is a pretty basic experience. .
Final Thoughts
Hampton softball may not have the fanciest stadium, although it is certainly fancier than some. However, where the experience excels is in the Lady Pirates' loyal, passionate fans. They are not the largest in number, but they are mighty and passionate. Softball fans in the Hampton Roads area may want to head to the Peninsula to check out the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium.