The Stanford Cardinal’s 2026 softball season was supposed to mark the debut of a brand-new $50 million softball stadium that began construction just before last season. The project, which left Stanford without a home field in 2025, included all the improvements one might imagine a new stadium would bring: increased capacity (from 829 seats to 1,347); larger, modernized facilities for the players; and improved amenities for fans and media alike. The Cardinal began practicing at the new ground two weeks before the start of the season, and christened their first game with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the mound.
But the pomp and circumstance was premature.
As it turns out, Stanford did not have the proper permits to actually use the stadium. Specifically, the university did not obtain a “temporary occupancy permit” from the county before opening up the venue — a surprising oversight given the money invested in the new facility, and the fact that the stadium just held a full slate of weekend games. To make matters worse, Stanford has had to relocate a scheduled tournament as a result of this snafu, the university announced…