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SALT LAKE CITY — As he thanked various donors for their contributions to pave the way for Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark, Mark Harlan made sure to go out of his way to acknowledge Kent Jones.
Harlan reflected on a conversation he had with Jones, a now-retired Utah cardiothoracic surgeon, in 2018, weeks after Harlan was named the University of Utah's athletics director. Most people approached him to talk about football or basketball, but not Jones.
"He said, 'We've got to build a baseball stadium,'" Harlan recalled. "From that moment on he has worn me out in the best possible way."
Six years later, work is now underway to make that vision happen.
University of Utah leaders gathered Wednesday to celebrate the beginning of construction of the Utes' new 1,200-seat stadium next to Sunnyside Park along Guardsman Way. It was more of a celebration that construction is happening rather than a traditional groundbreaking, as attendees gathered in a massive tent overlooking the old practice field that has already been ripped out to make way for the new facility.
The ceremony came with all the bells and whistles, topped with the rendition of the university fight song after dignitaries dug red shovels into a pile of dirt lined out in the tent.
"This is a historic day," said University of Utah President Taylor Randall, donning a Utah baseball jersey. "Today is also — more than anything else — about the future. ... This is about the future of this baseball team in the Big 12. This is about the baseball team playing on the national stage regularly."
Finding a new home
The Utes had shared Smith's Ballpark with the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, for some time when Harlan was hired. While there had been some efforts to build a stadium of its own at its practice field, and Jones kept pushing Harlan for a stadium, the university had essentially settled on sharing the field.
That all changed in January 2023. Miller Sports + Entertainment, the team's owner, announced that the Bees would move out of the stadium at the end of the 2024 season and into a new ballpark it would build in South Jordan's Downtown Daybreak. The new stadium remains on track to open in 2025.
Hours later, Salt Lake City announced a project called "Ballpark Next," seeking to turn the stadium into something else.
The Utes baseball team was suddenly in need of a new home.
"That was a moment of panic," Harlan recalled.
University leaders scrambled to find a solution, returning to the idea of converting the team's practice field on Guardsman Way into a stadium. They reached out to donors and explained the situation the school was suddenly in.
They also found that donors were also receptive to the idea. Funding for the $35 million ballpark came mostly from outside sources, including a $10 million donation by Colorado Rockies co-owner Charlie Monfort, according to Harlan.
Related:
U.'s new baseball field to be named after an MLB owner, but stadium won't open next year
The University of Utah's new baseball field now has a name following a major donation, but it will be another season before the team moves into it for games.Construction is on schedule and on budget, but the university is still figuring out one last major detail. It's unclear where the team will play home games in 2025, but a decision could be made within the next month.
However, Harlan believes a new stadium opens up a few new opportunities for the baseball team, as it shifts over to the Big 12 this season. They no longer have to adjust their schedule around when the Bees play, and all of the team's facilities will be in one place not far from campus.
Players and coaches agree. It will have artificial turf to help the team avoid pesky spring rainouts, while the team's locker rooms and indoor batting/pitching cages — and every other office — will be located within the same facility.
"This ballpark is extremely gratifying and very impressive," Utes coach Gary Henderson, adding he believes it will ultimately create a home-field advantage.
A community space
University officials also believe the ballpark becomes a community gem that goes beyond the Utes.
The stadium drew some ire from Salt Lake City residents earlier this year after some of its details were made public during a lease negotiation with Salt Lake City. Most of the stadium is located on university land, but a small section of Sunnyside Park was needed to avoid building a 35-foot wall between the stadium and the park.
Some voiced concerns about noise and traffic, while others against the plan questioned why youth baseball and softball aren't given the same financial opportunities especially as the cost of participating in leagues rises.
The City Council ultimately allowed the city to move forward with a plan to offer the university a $99 lease over 99 years in exchange for about $4.2 million in upfront funds to go toward park upgrades. Harlan said Wednesday that the two sides have since reached an agreement.
Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark may end up being home to more than just the Utes.
Harlan said he wants to share the stadium with high schools and Little League organizations, almost in the same way the Utes shared Smith's Ballpark with a minor league baseball team. He drew cheers from the crowd Wednesday when he said he'd like the stadium to host future state championship games.
It's something he said he was planning to offer regardless of the feedback from residents earlier this year.
"This is a community asset," he said. "It's the home of Utah baseball."
