$10 Million Donation Clears Way for Renovation of McComb's Field - Sunday AAS 2/8/26 A long-awaited expansion and renovation of McCombs Field, the home of Texas softball, could finally be on the horizon, per Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte. Texas recently secured a $10 million donation that will go toward a full renovation of the 28-yearold stadium, Del Conte revealed Wednesday night during his annual address to Longhorn fans that he dubs a “town hall.” University officials are “in the process of a feasibility study on a completely remodeled version of what our softball facility is,” he said. “When that facility was built, it was state of the art,” Del Conte said. “We built batting cages, offices and did a bunch of accouterments to the facility for our student-athletes a few years back, but now we’re going to address the stadium.” Del Conte, who didn’t field questions from reporters, did not go into details about who made the $10 million donation or how the funds will be used. He did say that “my goal is to raise $20 million, maybe a little bit more than that, to make this a true reality.” “Very proud of the fact that we just received a lead gift, and we’re going to work through that process, and it’s going to be a match,” he said. “So, anyone (who) wants to make sure you support that project with me — we can make a donation tonight — would be fantastic.” A full renovation of McCombs remains far down on the to-do list for Del Conte. The athletic program has taken on significant debt while building new football facilities, including a covered practice field that’s expected be completed this year. The university also has plans for a new multipurpose arena that will serve as the home court for Texas volleyball. McCombs Field received a $12.6 million investment in 2020 for a new player development facility, a pitching laboratory and other features, but it remains among the smallest and most spartan stadiums in the conference. With this season’s addition of approximately 300 extra seats in temporary bleachers down the right-field, McCombs has an official capacity of approximately 1,552 for the grandstands. That ranks near the bottom of the SEC just above Mississippi, although the stadium can fit approximately 2,000, counting standing room in the outfield. Oklahoma’s Love’s Field has an official capacity of 4,200, making it the largest on-campus softball-specific stadium in the country and the second largest overall behind the 13,000-seat Devon Park up the road in Oklahoma City. Alabama’s Rhoads Stadium seats 3,940, second in the nation for an oncampus field. Arkansas, LSU, Florida and Auburn each can fit at least 2,500 fans. Texas A&M, Kentucky and Tennessee all reach at least 2,000 seats while Georgia and Mississippi have recently heightened the fan experience by renovating grandstands, restrooms and concession area. Texas, the defending national champion, opens the season Friday against Nebraska at the UTSA Invitational in San Antonio. The Longhorns will make their home debut Thursday against Abilene Christian at the Bevo Classic.