BOONEVILLE, Miss. - Northeast Mississippi Community College's "Field of Dreams" complex is adding another marquee component to strengthen the game day atmosphere for both the fans and its student-athletes.
Northeast has partnered with scoreboard manufacturer Nevco to provide both its new baseball and softball stadiums with state-of-the-art video boards and top-of-the-line sound systems.
These will be the first video boards installed on any baseball or softball field among the 15 total members of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC).
"Our administration is just unbelievable with its support. They are making a commitment to our students," said Northeast athletic director Kent Farris. "It just blows my mind. It's got all the bells and whistles. It's going to be something that really benefits our programs."
The video boards will tower above the right field wall on the baseball portion of the "Field of Dreams" and behind the left-center field fence at the softball grounds. The public address system will sit on the same structure as the video and scoreboards.
"We are extremely proud to work with Northeast to help enhance this new facility with video display, scoring and audio solutions," said Wes Wood, who is Nevco's sports video national sales executive. "This facility is a complete game changer and will provide an incredible experience for fans, players, coaches and the entire surrounding community."
The scoreboards both utilize amber for the digit color and feature electronic team name input. Baseball's board is 28 feet wide by eight feet high while the softball version is 24 feet wide by eight feet high.
The video board on the baseball stadium has a 420 by 240 pixel matrix and stands at approximately 22 feet wide by 13 feet high. Softball's board includes a 300 by 180 pixel matrix with dimensions around 16 feet wide by 10 feet high.
Adorning the very top of the structure will be a decorative arch truss that prominently showcases Northeast's new tiger head and "NE" logos. There are multiple sponsorship spots on both the left and right side of the video boards as well.
"When (Nevco) designed everything, they did a great job," said Tigers head baseball coach Richy Harrelson. "We're going to show off our guys for the fans when they get here this season. It's also going to be a huge selling point in recruiting."
Construction on the "Field of Dreams" started one year ago in August 2018. It is on schedule to be completed in time for the 2020 campaign for both the baseball and softball programs.
This is the first time in school history that either sport will compete inside an on-campus venue. The overall seating capacity for the facility is 248 spectators for baseball contests and 200 observers during softball events.
The video boards are the final piece to what was already going to become one of the nicest complexes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The "Field of Dreams" also includes artificial turf playing surfaces, a two-story pressbox, new locker rooms and an indoor hitting and throwing area.
"It just makes the possibilities to enhance the overall in-game experience for our players and fans endless," Northeast head softball coach Jody Long said. "I think it'll pay dividends in the recruiting process as well. It's a great way to continue to grow our sport within the community."
Nevco, which is based in Greenville, Ill., has supplied colleges, universities, high schools, park and recreation groups and other organizations with the most innovative scoring and LED video products in the industry for over 80 years. More than 100,000 locations around the world use Nevco scoreboards, message centers and video displays.