Lafayette High New Baseball and Softball Fields: What We Know

(LAFAYETTE, LA) - After years without a ballpark to call their own, Lafayette High's baseball and softball teams are finally watching their new home take shape. The Lafayette Parish School System's baseball and softball complex on the former S.J. Montgomery Elementary School site has moved into the construction phase, as noted by the sign and construction equipment on site. Demolition at the old school started back in January, as KATC reported, and now the work shifts from tearing down walls to building ballfields.

It's the last big piece of a campus overhaul that started more than three years ago, and for the Mighty Lions on the diamond, it can't come soon enough. Having been at STM when the school first opened and having to have games off-campus I can recognize how inconvenient that scenario is to say the least.

What We Know About the Lafayette High Baseball and Softball Complex

The complex is going up at the former S.J. Montgomery Elementary campus, which the district closed and demolished to make room for Lafayette High athletics. KATC reported in January that the project was expected to go out for bid in February and that it's part of a $173 million districtwide construction program.

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Back when the district first planned replacement fields, The Advocate reported the plans included a field house with locker rooms, bathrooms and storage. That plan was for Neyland Park behind the Robichaux Center, before the district shifted the project to the Montgomery site.

Why Lafayette High's Baseball and Softball Teams Lost Their Fields

Here's the part a lot of folks forget. The old baseball and softball fields didn't disappear because they were worn out. They were the first thing to go when the new school started. The new campus didn't leave room for ballfields. When site work kicked off in 2023, crews started with a new student parking lot near Marie Antoinette and Susan streets, right where the old fields sat. The softball team had already played its last game ever on its home field in the spring of 2022. I was a little sad seeing that field go away having watched my youngest play softball at LHS, with her season cut short in 2020 by COVID restrictions.

Lafayette High Renovation Timeline

Here's how we got from the old 1950s campus on West Congress Street to a brand new ballpark.

March 2022: Designs for the new Lafayette High are presented to the public after a survey showed strong support for rebuilding on the existing property.
Spring 2022: Lafayette High softball plays its final game on its old home field.
Summer 2023: Site work begins. The old baseball and softball fields become a student parking lot.
September 29, 2023: Groundbreaking on the new $100 million Lafayette High, built by Lemoine.
Fall 2023: At a town hall, the district lays out plans for new fields at Neyland Park with construction targeted for 2024.
Later: The school board approves $2 million in savings from the Lafayette High project for baseball and softball fields, according to The Advocate.
Summer 2025: The district announces S.J. Montgomery Elementary will close and be demolished to make way for Lafayette High's athletic complex, KATC reported.
August 2025: About 1,800 students walk into the new three-story, 330,000-square-foot Lafayette High for the first time, per LPSS.
2025: The original campus, which stood for nearly 75 years, is demolished.
Fall 2025: Mighty Lions football plays its first home game on campus in three seasons after stints at Lafayette Christian and Acadiana High, per KATC.
January 2026: Demolition begins at the former S.J. Montgomery Elementary.
February 2026: Baseball and softball complex expected to go out for bid.
August 10, 2026: Lafayette High holds a ribbon-cutting marking substantial completion of the campus, The Advocate reported.
October 2026: Construction begins on the baseball and softball complex.

The Rest of the New Lafayette High Campus

At the August ribbon-cutting, Superintendent Francis Touchet put it simply: "Today is the day that the majority of what's happening here is complete." The new school has 52 classrooms and labs, a bigger library, woodworking and welding shops, a new gym and the 605-seat Scotty Walker Concert Hall. It's built for about 500 more students than the old campus, with roughly 2,200 enrolled this year.

It's been a long road for everybody at Lafayette High, but the ballplayers waited the longest of anybody, so here's hoping that first pitch at the new park is worth every bit of it.