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SALT LAKE CITY — The Bees might be gone, but baseball will remain at Smith's Ballpark for one more season.
The University of Utah announced Friday that it had finalized an agreement with Salt Lake City and Miller Sports + Entertainment to play its 2025 home games at the stadium vacated by the Bees after the team's season finale last month. The Utes will then move to the Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark in 2026.
"This is an important partnership for our baseball program, to maintain continuity for one more season of play at Smith's Ballpark before moving into their new on-campus stadium in 2026," said Utah athletic director Mark Harlan, in a statement.
The Utes played at Smith's Ballpark for nearly three decades through a partnership with the Bees, but the team announced in 2023 that it would move to a new stadium that Miller is building in South Jordan's Daybreak community after the 2024 season. Salt Lake City officials launched an effort to reimagine the ballpark at the same time.
Both decisions left the University of Utah in need of a stadium of its own, which it is building closer to its campus. However, the stadium isn't expected to be ready until the 2026 season. Construction on whatever is decided for Smith's Ballpark is also not expected to begin until 2026.
Friday's announcement wasn't much of a surprise after Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall revealed on Sept. 11 that the city was close to finalizing a deal to keep the Utes at the ballpark next season. The delay, officials from the different entities explained at the time, was based on some final logistics that required an agreement with Miller Sports + Entertainment, owner of the Salt Lake Bees.
The Bees will still play their 2025 season at the new Daybreak Field at America First Square, but a spokesperson said they will also offer a "supportive role" to help the university play its games at Smith's Ballpark next year.
Mendenhall wrote on social media that she is "excited" that baseball will remain at Smith's Ballpark next year. She also said last month that the agreement with the U. would allow for the city to still hold events at the ballpark during the Utes season — the team's first in the Big 12 Conference.
There will be some sort of alternate stadium use of the stadium in the second half of 2025. The city is still working to identify "more activations" for the ballpark space once the Utes season ends, the mayor added Friday.
