Thursday marks opening day for the Orioles. It is also a new day for Prince George’s Stadium, home of the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate Chesapeake Baysox.

During a ceremonial groundbreaking with government and baseball dignitaries, the Baysox and Maryland Stadium Authority celebrated plans for a $50 million upgrade at the 31-year-old ballpark. The centerpiece of the player-focused renovations will be a performance center stationed down the third-base side.

The groundbreaking is the second in a string of ballpark-improvement projects from the Maryland Stadium Authority, funded with $200 million in bond revenue from a 2022 state law.

Construction began at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, home of the Orioles’ Low-A affiliate Delmarva Shorebirds, this year, and Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick will begin renovations in the coming months. Chair Craig Thompson noted Thursday that the stadium authority will “have some wonderful construction going on all over the state.”

Two other ballparks are expected to follow: the Waldorf home of the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and then Ripken Stadium, where the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds play.

The bonds will be paid off with revenue from state lottery funds.

During Thursday’s ceremony, as cranes stationed in left field worked on new video boards, a full lineup of public officials applauded the upgrades. Officials then joined the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., now a part owner of the Orioles, for a photo opportunity holding shovels.

“This is an exciting moment,” said Tara Jackson, acting executive for Prince George’s County.

Major League Baseball shook up minor league baseball five years ago, requiring that teams play in ballparks with certain amenities for players. Some cities, including Frederick, lost their affiliations with big league clubs. Teams that retained affiliations were required to meet certain facility standards or be fined. (The IronBirds were fined last year).

Before traveling to Toronto for Baltimore’s opening day, Orioles general manager Mike Elias emphasized the importance of “first-rate facilities for our players, up and down the organization.”

“We’ve been doing it in the Dominican Republic, Florida. It’s going to happen at Camden Yards,” he said, then turning his attention to Bowie, “but this is going to be one of the best in the league.”

It’s been a period of change for the Baysox, who were purchased by Attain Sports and Entertainment in 2022. They were long known as the Bowie Baysox. Bowie Mayor Tim Adams proudly noted Thursday that Attain changed the name to the Chesapeake Baysox in November.

A recently released logo for an alternate Baysox identity, the Oyster Catchers, went viral last week after social media users noticed that the logo — an oyster in a baseball glove — resembled “something unexpected,” as the Baysox delicately put it in an Instagram post. The Baysox, in turn, announced that 10% of all Oyster Catchers merchandise would go to Cervivor, a nonprofit that supports those with cervical cancer.

Prince George’s Stadium construction will continue throughout 2025 and, although it will be visible, will not disrupt the Baysox’s season. All upgrades are expected to be finished by the first game of 2026, though Attain founder Greg Baroni also teased there would be further improvements down the road.

Attain has a lease at Prince George’s Stadium until 2032 with “mutual” options, as Baroni said, through 2042.

Baroni said he toured 20 minor league ballparks and spoke with players before the stadium upgrades were finalized. One change in 2026: The Baysox will make the third-base dugout their home, as opposed to being on the first-base side.

Attain also purchased the IronBirds, the Orioles’ High-A affiliate, last year, and the club’s future in Aberdeen is murky.

The company has pledged to keep some level of baseball in Aberdeen but has not specified if it will be the Orioles-affiliated IronBirds. Asked Thursday if the IronBirds will remain in Aberdeen, Baroni declined to answer.

“I’ll just say no comment on that at this point,” he said. “I would say stay tuned. I mean, I’m committed to keeping baseball in Aberdeen. I would just say stay tuned.”

Frederick’s ballpark will soon undergo about $39 million in improvements. Attain, which owns independent league teams in Frederick, has previously said it would like to bring an affiliated team back. Baroni confirmed Thursday he is “still hopeful for that.”