
Oklahoma State University Gets New Baseball Home in O'Brate Stadium The venue boasts a Daktronics LED videoboard, connects to centralized control room By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Thursday, February 27, 2020 - 10:54 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Over the past two weeks, NCAA Division I baseball teams across the nation began their march on the Road to the 2020 College World Series in Omaha, NE. In the American heartland, more specifically in Stillwater, OK, Oklahoma State University is off to a 7-2 start and sits at No. 28 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. Having started the season in 38-year-old Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, the Cowboys will play their first-ever game in the new $60 million O'Brate Stadium when they open Big 12 Conference play on March 20.
Oklahoma State University is using this logo to commemorate the first season at O'Brate Stadium.
The construction is still ongoing but has been a smooth process, says C.J. Lickert, executive producer, Orange Power Studios, the athletic department's video-production unit. This brand-new stadium comes with new technology and connectivity that will enable better coverage for our fans inside of the venue as well as those watching on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
From Fixed Digital to LED: OSU Crew Adapts to Modern Videoboard
To students or fans attending a ballgame for the first time, the amenities at O'Brate Stadium may seem like the standard, but, when the 1981 season opened at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, fans in attendance were dazzled by what was then the latest and greatest in in-venue technology. Though upgraded over the years, the scoreboard's two-dimensional imaging and mostly stationary information like statistics and out of town scores severely limited Orange Power Studios' productions.
Fast forward to 2020, and this antiquated scoreboard has become obsolete. When the crew fires up content for the first pitch in O'Brate Stadium, the focal point will be a 28.8-ft.-high by 67.2-ft.-wide Daktronics LED videoboard beyond the left-field wall.
Construction having begun in March 2018, the exterior shell of the venue begins to take shape after a year's worth of work.
The biggest change in technology will be the move from a fixed-digit scoreboard to the use of a Daktronics LED board for scoring and video, says Lickert. This will give us the ability to display more statistical information as well as provide even more replays.
With the videoboard, which covers 2,000 sq. ft. of digital real estate, combining visual elements with the customary facts and figures will set O'Brate apart from the previous digs. In a fresh, more modern environment, the entire OSU baseball fanbase will benefit from this project, which broke ground in March 2018.
Overall, O'Brate Stadium will greatly improve our in-venue productions of Oklahoma State Baseball, Lickert says. Since OSU started playing in Allie P. [Reynolds Stadium] in 1981, there has been a number of upgrades along the way for the fan experience as well as in the locker room and the coaches offices. As for the older facility, it does not compare with what O'Brate will be able to provide in terms of technology.
The structure for the LED videoboard was set in place by late August 2018, past the outfield wall above the left-field concourse.
Besides enhanced technology, the new stadium will feature 3,500 permanent seats, 11 suites, and 400 premium seats in club and suite areas. The park has the ability to expand to 8,000 seats when necessary. Inside, a 7,400-sq.-ft. locker room will give players a home away from their dorms, and, on the educational end of the spectrum, a 50-person classroom with tiered seating will allow optimal film sessions or other visual presentations.
Midseason Move: Orange Power Studios' Relies on Two Centralized Control Rooms
Having opened its doors on April 4, 1981, Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has been the campus cathedral of baseball for nearly four decades. With its closure a month into the 2020 campaign, there will be a bit of a transition period between the final game in the old confines on March 15 and the first game in the new place five days later.
To ease the chaos that accompanies such a transition, Orange Power Studios' central hub in the west end zone of football's Boone Pickens Stadium will be at the ready. The centralization will come in handy during this stressful process.
We have preexisting, centralized control rooms with fiber connecting [them] to our sports facilities, says Lickert. We use these two control rooms for both our in-house and Big 12 Now on ESPN+ productions.
A 50-person classroom can accommodate a multitude of uses from team film sessions to other visual presentations.
In the broadcast-control room, Ross Video is at the center of operations with an Acuity production switcher, Xpression graphics, Abekas Mira replay systems, and Tria servers for video playback. In addition, ChyronHego's Duet CGs are on hand to deliver graphics to the screen. In the videoboard-control room, Daktronics Show Control will handle graphics needs for each baseball game.
Since being created in 2013, the production department's improved working space has allowed it to further expand its staff. The turning point came with the introduction of in-venue-production responsibilities.
We use a mix of freelancer, full-time [staffers], and students for our crew, notes Lickert. In previous years, without the big screen, the broadcast productions had an 18- to 20-person crew with eight to 10 freelancers, six to eight students, and two full-timers. With the addition of the in-house shows, this number rose to 26-28 crew members with a slightly more student-heavy ratio.
Show and Tell: New Venue Sweetens Recruitment, Campus-Wide Support
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...