Facility History and Facts
Major renovations to the field and dugout areas were realized in time for the 2009 season and then, in time for the 2010 season, construction concluded on a state-of-the-art indoor facility. The softball complex located just outside the left field fence includes coaching offices, a meeting room, a players’ lounge, equipment rooms and locker rooms. In addition, the Red Raider softball team now has the luxury of also practicing in their new indoor and outdoor batting cages, thanks to these renovations.
The inclusion of a state-of-the-art team facility which also includes complete athletic training and equipment storage areas along with a luxurious team room can play host to pre-event functions and will serve as an overflow media center during tournaments.
In the summer of 2010, Rocky Johnson Field played host to a weeklong professional series of softball, featuring the Orlando and Chicago franchises who boasted a number of USA national players on their rosters, which culminated in a Saturday evening game of the week on the ESPN family of networks. The more than 2,600 fans in attendance represented the largest crowd to ever attend a softball game on campus.
Prior to the 2012 season, Texas Tech added just over 500 seats to the complex, pushing the facility’s official capacity to just under 1,100, one of the largest in the conference. The project, which replaced the grass berms over the first and third base dugouts, allowed for seating to be available all the way down the baselines up until each team’s bullpen. The renovation marked the second for Tech since the facility officially opened in 2001.
The 2019 and 2022 seasons saw some of the largest crowds at The Rock since its opening. In a series against Texas in April of 2019, 2,687 fans attended over a three-game stretch to set a program record including the record for most fans at a single game, 1,294, which still holds as Tech heads into the 2024 season.
Then, three seasons later, in a series against Oklahoma, the attendance record was crushed as The Rock saw 3,569 fans attend over the three-game series. That marks the only time that three consecutive games have seen over 1,000 fans in the stands.
The record was on watch in the Red Raiders final home series of the 2023 season against Oklahoma State as 2,148 fans attended the first two games of the series when fans were treated to a 4-3 walk-off victory over the No. 7 ranked Cowgirls in extra innings.
After the 2023 season, the Rocky Johnson was renovated to add artificial turf, updated outfield walls, a reconstruction of the bullpen and improved speakers to further enhance the fan and student-athlete experience.
RED RAIDER SOFTBALL ATTENDANCE AT ROCKY JOHNSON FIELD:
1,294 on April 7, 2019 vs. Texas
1,260 on April 10, 2022 vs. Oklahoma
1,258 on March 23, 2019 vs. Oklahoma
1,257 on April 25, 2015 vs. Texas
1,248 on March 27, 2011 vs. Missouri
1,223 on March 24, 2019 vs. Oklahoma
1,209 on April 9, 2022 vs. Oklahoma
BEST SEASON AT ROCKY JOHNSON FIELD:
2012 - 18-4 (.818) at home, overall record of 41-17
ALL-TIME RECORD (Entering 2024 Season)
235-186 (.558)
