LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Virginia Wesleyan University's softball field, Tom & Betty Broyles Field at TowneBank Park, has garnered NFCA Field of the Year honors for all of Division III as announced by the organization on Friday afternoon. The Marlins home field was one of seven selected across seven divisions, including Division I, II, III, NAIA, NJCAA, Cal JC, and high schools. 

This award, made possible by NFCA Official Sponsor Netting Professionals, recognizes top fields/stadiums in the nation for their flawless grounds maintenance and exceptional playing surfaces. 

Tom & Betty Broyles Field at TowneBank Park became a reality in 2018 after the Marlins won their second consecutive NCAA National Championship.  It included upgrades to the playing surface and the amenities, including new backstop netting and fencing throughout the facility (including 30-foot home run netting). It features step-down dugouts with cedar-finished walls, three turfed batting cages, and six turfed pitching lanes, along with new grandstands, a press box, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. Maintained by Kent Brown, Nathan Boudreaux, and Javier Delgado, the infield is clay/sand mix and the outfield is bermuda.

The former softball field was completely demolished and replaced with Broyles Field in 2019 thanks to a gift by the TowneBank Foundation of Suffolk, Virginia. The complex was renamed Tom and Betty Broyles Field at TowneBank Park to recognize Mr. Broyles and his late wife Betty. Mr. Broyles is a long-time Trustee and benefactor of the University and a former Chair of the Board of TowneBank.  

Tom & Betty Broyles hosted the 2021 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship series as well as the 2021 NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament. 

The Watts Field House, with a locker room for the Marlins and public restrooms, will be constructed in time for the 2023 season.