New Bengals softball field the best in Big Sky, coach says

POCATELLO — The Idaho State University softball team took the field Monday for its first official in-season practice of the 2025 season. And they did so in a redone facility.

What will now be called Direct Communications Field at Miller Ranch Stadium underwent a complete overhaul, thanks to a donation from Direct Communications.

For starters, the playing surface was leveled. According to head coach Andrew Rich, there had been a two-foot drop from the pitching rubber to the center field fence.

More notably though, is the fact that the dirt and grass of old has been replaced by an all-turf field. The dugouts and press box have also been rebuilt, with six cameras installed that will be used for player development purposes as well as for recording practices and games.

“I don’t think you can count the ways that it improves our program,” Rich told EastIdahoNews.com.

“This is now the best facility in the Big Sky, in my opinion.”

The impact of the new field has already been felt, Rich explained. The players have expressed excitement throughout the summer — either driving past the site or asking to see a live feed of it on the new cameras. But the level of impact will only increase.

With its new field, the softball team will be able to get more on-field practice time, rather than using the ICCU Dome for preseason practicing. They will also be able to schedule more home games, beginning earlier in the year.

“We go from having a field that we can use five to six months out of the year to having a field that’s year-around,” Rich said. … “The ways we’re going to be able to use this place, and what it’s going to do for our program, you can’t even put it into words.”

Recruiting is another facet of the program which will reap benefits from this new development. Recruits will now visit what Rich said is the only all-turf field in the state.

There is also an advantage that will excite those potential future Bengals the same way it does current ones — in the form of six fixed cameras.

Cameras on both dugouts, behind home plate and in center field are always recording and uploading video to a team-run server.

As Rich explained, players can come to the field to work on hitting, fielding, pitching or whatever and have immediate access to the videos from their workout.

“From a player development standpoint, the cameras are second to none,” Rich said. “The fact that we can always have film and always be going over everything … to have our games be uploaded to the system we use for scouting right away … it feels like a college softball facility, more so now than it ever did in the past.”

Rich is also hopeful the new field will help grow the sport of softball throughout the community and region — something that has been a goal of his since he was hired by ISU three years ago.

When it is not being used by the Bengals, Rich hopes local high school and youth softball teams will be able to make use of the field.

ISU will also host youth softball camps and tournaments, in hopes of growing the sport that way.

“We’re going to make sure the community feels this as well,” Rich said.

Having the new turf field is something Rich has believed was necessary since taking the job, but is something he thought would not be possible.

“Now, to see it actually coming together, is just awesome. It’s another step in the right direction,” he said.

The Bengals will open their new field to regular season play on March 8, when ISU will host Washington, Utah, Boise State and Montana for a week-long tournament. Washington, Rich believes, will be the first Big 10 team to ever play a sporting event at ISU, but he is hopeful they will not be the last.

The key to increasing the number of home games for ISU is getting teams to agree to come to Pocatello for the game.

“Part of that is putting on a good tournament that first weekend, and, hopefully, having a good crowd,” Rich said.

The softball field development was funded through a $500,000 donation from Direct Communication — part of more than $8 million in donations to the institution during the 2024 fiscal year, according to a news release from the university.

“This venue will be the crown jewel of all peer Big Sky Conference institutions,” the release says.