Oregon built it, and fans came.

Now, after playing two UO softball seasons in front of large crowds at Jane Sanders Stadium, the Ducks have begun the process of adding more permanent seating in the $17 million venue.

This month the university posted a notice for potential bidders (read it here) that it will turn the temporary outfield bleachers that sat 1,000 fans for parts of the past two seasons into a permanent center-field grandstand, with bench-style seating for approximately 900 fans, with restroom and concession facilities built beneath it. The budget for the project is $1.4 million. UO has set a July 27 deadline for bids from general contractors.

Permanent outfield bleachers were not in the stadium's original plan, but UO received a private donation during the 2017 season that allowed the project to move forward, UO senior associate athletic director Craig Pintens said.

Monday morning, five days after this story was originally reported, the UO athletic department officially announced its plans for the new structure, and said Bob Sanders is the donor who provided the money to make the construction possible. Sanders, a former UO fullback who graduated in 1951, donated $16 million toward the new stadium, which was named for his late wife, a 1950 UO graduate.

SRG, the architectural firm used during the first phase of construction, was again used for the outfield grandstand design. The permanent bleachers will not be covered by a roof, according to SRG drawings.

At times throughout the 2016 and 2017 softball seasons, Oregon constructed temporary bleachers behind center field to expand capacity to 2,500. Oregon now plans to make that seating permanent with a new addition.

According to NCAA statistics Oregon drew an average of 1,892 fans to Jane Sanders Stadium in 2017, the fourth-highest average in the country behind Alabama (2,201), Auburn (2,123) and Arizona (1,953). UO also ranked 25th by filling 75.7 percent of a listed capacity of 2,500. The Ducks finished the home season by beating Kentucky to advance to their fourth Women's College World Series in six seasons.

UO is 43-7 at the venue since its opening in March 2016. During the NCAA tournament's regional and super regional rounds, multiple opposing players and coaches complimented the facility on its design, which includes an indoor practice center down the left-field line.

Following UO's 2015 softball season, Howe Field was razed and construction began on Sanders Stadium. Howe Field was built in 1936 and converted from a baseball facility to a softball venue in the 1980s after UO dropped baseball, but without permanent lights or bathrooms, it became outdated.

-- Andrew Greif

agreif@oregonian.com

@andrewgreif