Washington Huskies will begin $22 million renovation of softball stadium

There's been no shortage in construction activity around the University of Washington's athletic village during the past several years.

Since 2020, the UW athletic department has completed the softball performance center, installed a new pitch and drainage system at Husky Soccer Stadium and finished building the new basketball training facility.

And on Tuesday, UW athletic director Pat Chun revealed the department's next major project: a multiphase $22 million renovation of Husky Softball Stadium. The announcement coincided with a large gift contribution from UW Tyee Club member Tom McFarlan to help kick-start the project, though UW is still raising additional funds to support the full scope of the project and accelerate construction.

The Husky Softball Stadium renovation will include improvements for the student-athlete and fan experiences. Renderings provided by the athletic department are not final and there is no official timeline for the project as of Tuesday, a UW athletics spokesperson told The Seattle Times.

We are incredibly grateful for Tom's leadership gift and the momentum it creates for Washington softball," Chun said in a news release. "This is an important step in bolstering one of the premier college softball programs in the country, and it will meaningfully enhance the experience for our student-athletes and fans."

The renovation will include two phases. The first, which will begin imminently, is focused on improving the student-athlete experience. Team spaces, the locker rooms and the dugouts will all be refurbished. Additionally, the press box will be remodeled and broadcasting capabilities are going to be enhanced.

The second phase will be focused on expanding seating capacity and potentially adding a canopy roof over parts of the stadium depending on the additional funds the athletic department can raise. Husky Softball Stadium can currently host 1,500 fans. There is no set number for the stadium's capacity after the renovation yet, the UW spokesperson told The Times.

"From our rich legacy to the next chapter - the major renovation at Husky Softball Stadium is a game changer for our program," coach Heather Tarr, who just completed her 22nd season leading the program, said in the news release. "It will elevate how we compete, develop talent, and recruit the best student-athletes who are excited to be Huskies.

"We're deeply grateful to the community members who believe in us and are helping secure our future. This is what being a part of the Washington softball program is all about."

Husky Softball Stadium - situated on the shore of Lake Washington, between the Dempsey Indoor and Husky Stadium - was initially built in 1994. The locker rooms were most recently renovated in 2014. It has hosted regional rounds of the NCAA tournament 20 times and the super regional round five times.

Tarr's Huskies, leaning on a substantial youth movement, went 37-20 during the 2026 season. UW finished the regular season tied for fifth place in the Big Ten with Northwestern and won its first Big Ten tournament game by beating No. 12-seed Minnesota 4-2. However, Washington failed to advance past the regional round of the NCAA tournament, losing to South Florida twice in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Husky Softball Stadium renovation is one of several major construction projects UW athletics has embarked upon during the past several years. Along with the basketball training facility, softball performance center and soccer stadium pitch installation, Washington has also renovated the Don James Center for student-athlete nutrition and refurbished the football weight room and its meeting and recovery rooms.

Additionally, the broadcast production facility being built inside Hec Edmundson Pavilion to support the Big Ten Network - which will be known as the Sundodger Studios - is nearly complete.

Washington spent $10.5 million on facility maintenance and operations during the 2025 fiscal year, the 2024-25 academic year, according to NCAA financial reports acquired by The Times. The Husky Softball Stadium renovation likely won't begin appearing on financial reports until the 2027 fiscal year at the earliest.

"We are fortunate to be part of a community that cares deeply about UW Softball," Chun said, "and with Coach Tarr's extraordinary leadership, we are excited about the future of this program.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 6:51 AM.