The Salem Red Sox announced Monday the construction of a new high-definition video display to debut on 2017’s Opening Day at LewisGale Field at Salem Memorial Stadium.

The LED video-board will measure 36 feet wide by 31 feet 6 inches tall, with the full scoreboard stretching to 56 feet wide by 31 feet 6 inches tall. Fans will be able to see everything in vivid clarity with the 15 HD panels, each beaming brightly with 7,000 Nits (or “candelas per square meter”) to make the board roughly equivalent to the brightness of a clear Virginia sky.

“The new board is going to dramatically improve the in-game experience for our guests at the ballpark,” Red Sox president and general manager Ryan Shelton said. “We are so thankful to our partners with the City of Salem for working with us to make this possible.”

Salem mayor Randy Foley and city manager Jay Taliaferro both expressed their enthusiasm for the new addition to LewisGale Field.

“Many of the improvements we have made in recent years haven’t always been visible to our fans, but this new first-rate HD scoreboard is going to take the fan experience to another level,” Foley said. “We are celebrating 50 years of Carolina League baseball in Salem this year and this is certainly a tremendous way to get the party started.”

“It was a pleasure working with the Red Sox on this project, and I can’t wait for our fans to see the state-of-the-art scoreboard this season,” Taliaferro said.

The board will be constructed by industry leader Daktronics, which is based in Brookings, South Dakota. Comparable Daktronics displays are visible at the stadiums of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers and fellow Red Sox affiliates the Greenville Drive.

The new video-board will further enhance the presentation quality for the Red Sox and their partners, with dynamic new animations and illustrations to make the fan experience top-notch for all visitors to LewisGale Field. For more information on partnering with the Red Sox, fans can call the team’s front office at 389-3333.

The Salem Red Sox open 2017 at LewisGale Field on Thursday, April 6 against the Down East Wood Ducks, who make their Carolina League debut.

The Carolina League All-Star Game returns to LewisGale Field on Tuesday, June 20. As part of a celebration of 50 years of Carolina League baseball in the Roanoke Valley, the Red Sox will host a skills competition on Monday, June 19. The skills competition will take place at historic Kiwanis Field, the original home of Carolina League baseball in Salem. All 2017 Salem Red Sox season ticket holders will have tickets to the skills competition and the All-Star Classic included in their ticket package. Further Ticket information and details surrounding the events of All-Star Week will be released at a later date.

— Courtesy of Salem Red Sox