USF Baseball Stadium
USF Baseball Stadium at Red McEwen Field is a baseball stadium located in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is home to the University of South Florida Bulls baseball team of the Division I American Athletic Conference (The American).[2] The facility has a capacity of 3,211 spectators.[3] Opening in 2011, it replaced Red McEwen Field as the home of USF baseball.[4]
 | |
| Location | Bull Run Drive, Tampa, Florida, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28.05866°N 82.404649°W |
| Owner | University of South Florida |
| Operator | University of South Florida |
| Capacity | 3,211 |
| Record attendance | 3,126[1] |
| Field size | Left Field: 325 feet Left Center: 367 feet Center Field: 400 feet Right Center: 370 feet Right Field: 330 feet |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2010 |
| Opened | February 25, 2011 |
| Architect | Populous |
| General contractor | R.R. Simmons |
| Tenants | |
| South Florida Bulls baseball (2011–present) | |
Features of the ballpark include a 1,500-seat grandstand with canopy, a berm for additional spectators along each foul line, in-ground dugouts, fan pavilions, press box, batting cages, a large Daktronics scoreboard, and a deck where fans can view both the baseball field and adjacent USF Softball Stadium at the same time.[3]
History
After the demolition of Red McEwen Field following the 2010 season, construction of a new facility on the same location began. The alignment of the new field was changed, with home plate moving from the northwest corner to the southwest corner, to accommodate a concourse shared with the newly constructed neighboring USF Softball Stadium and create the USF Baseball/Softball Complex.[5] The physical field is still named after McEwen, as can be seen on the backstop behind home plate, but the stadium is called USF Baseball Stadium.
Construction was completed over the 2010-2011 off season, with the stadium hosting its first game on February 25, 2011. In it, the Bulls lost to Elon 4–3 in extra innings. 3,126 spectators attended, a USF baseball record.[1]
On March 11, 2011, a formal ceremony announcing the facility's opening was held.[3]
In 2011, the first year of the stadium's opening, the Bulls ranked 29th in Division I college baseball in attendance, averaging 1,537 per home game.[6]
In 2012, college baseball writer Eric Sorenson ranked the stadium as the fifth most underrated venue in Division I baseball.[7]
References
- USF Sports information (February 25, 2011). "Bulls Fall in Extras, 4-3, to Elon". gousfbulls.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- "2010 USF Baseball, Slide 2". gousfbulls.com. Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- "View the New Baseball Complex". usf.edu. March 14, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- Scott Carter (May 13, 2010). ""The Red" Had Its Moments for USF Baseball". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- Brian Foley (December 4, 2009). "South Florida Set for New Stadium". College Baseball Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- Tami Cutler. "2011 Division I Baseball Attendance" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-20. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- Sorenson, Eric (5 October 2012). "Distiller's Dozen - The "Hey, Nice Stadium" Edition". CollegeBaseballToday.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.