RAINSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — School officials celebrated breaking ground on a new state-of-the-art women’s softball facility Tuesday at the Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC).

The groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the construction of the $7.8 million softball facility took place on the NACC campus at the facility’s construction site.

The stadium will be lighted to allow for late afternoon and evening games and will have artificial turf in both the infield and outfield. Locker rooms and a training facility will also be included on-site.

NACC said the college is very excited to bring women’s college softball into their school and plans for the softball team to compete in the fall of 2024.

Women’s softball coach Joe Guthrie is excited about the flexibility this facility gives him as a coach, and says this is a big way NACC is showing support for its athletes.

“Functionality-wise for us as a coach, we can coach rain, sleet, snow, shine, in that facility whether we’re talking about weight training or whether we’re talking about softball-specific skills,” Guthrie said. “So that allows us to do that. But the biggest thing as a player, if you’re looking at it is what we’re committed to doing – because it is state of the art, and that means we’re wanting to point to the highest point possible for sure.”

The stadium will be located near the campus’s nature trail. NACC says there are also plans to make the entire area a recreational and picnic area for Northeast students, staff, and the community.