By Sam Mostow
March 4, 2025
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Overview: Penn State infielder Meagan Ricks digs in against James Madison pitcher Kirsten Fleet. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va. — The Moyer Sports Complex hosted the inaugural Hokie Invite from Friday to Sunday, receiving seven softball teams after 21 months of renovations.
The 22-acre facility — which cost $27.9 million — contains four multipurpose baseball and softball fields, according to The Roanoke Times. Each field can host youth and adult softball, along with youth baseball. Aside from the fields, the complex holds 10 pickleball courts and 383 parking spots.
The weekend series marked the first time Virginia Tech softball played regular season games in Salem since 2005, per Virginia Tech athletics.
Eric O’Brien, the assistant director of Salem’s parks and recreation department, said the event was the result of collaborative efforts between city government officials and Virginia Tech staff.
“On our end, there is a lot of prep work — especially this time of year, with the weather and monitoring the weather,” O’Brien said. “Our guys, really in the last couple of weeks, are trying to make the facility look as nice as possible and up to standard, obviously, as these Division I teams come in and play.”
Heavy rain and flooding in Salem threatened the event. According to WDBJ, the Roanoke River crested at 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, February 16, which Jim Farmer — the Moyer Sports Complex’s recreation program supervisor — said impacted the facility. Farmer said the parking lot and one of the fields were covered in water, two warning tracks were demolished and a lot of outside fencing required repairs.
“We had a flood, as you may know, and there was a lot of prep that had to happen in order to keep this thing on schedule,” Farmer said. “We worked hard the last couple weeks getting that all done.”
To maintain the event, Farmer said the city hired an outside contractor to support flood cleanup.
“Our guys were pushed to the max for the last two weeks, getting the place cleaned up and turned around … the most important thing being the game field, so that it’s playable for the athletes, and then everything else just came together with a lot of hard work,” Farmer said.
With the flooding behind them, the event ran as scheduled. Virginia Tech won four of its five games across the weekend, continuing its strong start to the season.
“This is the first real marquee event since we’ve done the renovation process of this facility,” O’Brien said. “To have the caliber of the teams that are coming in this weekend to play to kind of kick off the season for us … with a bang.”
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Eric O’Brien: Eric O’Brien, the assistant director of Salem’s parks and recreation department, poses in front of a drone shot of the Moyer Sports Complex. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Jim Farmer: Jim Farmer, the Moyer Sports Complex’s recreation program supervisor, stands in his office. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Scoreboard: An American flag blows in front of the Moyer Sports Complex’s scoreboard, revealing James Madison’s 2-0 lead over Penn State. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Softball Fountain: An upside down softball rotates, reading “Moyer Sports Complex,” while filtering water outside the main entrance. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Pitch: Villanova pitcher Lexi Kobryn releases the softball during her team's effort against Radford. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Bunt: Radford infielder Grace Bechtol drops a bunt and prepares to sprint to first base. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Windup: Penn State pitcher Mady Volpe circles her arm back and prepares to fire the softball towards home plate. Photo: Sam Mostow
SALEM, Va., March 1, 2025 — Fans: Attendees pack the bleachers at the Moyer Sports Complex to watch James Madison take on Penn State. Photo: Sam Mostow
