USF Baseball Stadium
USF Baseball Stadium is a baseball venue located in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is home to the University of South Florida Bulls college baseball team of the Division I American Athletic Conference (The American).[2] The facility has a capacity of 3,211 spectators.[3] 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 |
| Built | Fall 2010–Spring 2011 |
| 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 seating area with canopy, in-ground dugouts, fan pavilions, batting cages, and a press box.[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 from McEwen's to accommodate a concourse shared with the newly constructed neighboring softball field.[5]
Construction was completed over the 2010-2011 offseason, 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 Bulls ranked 29th in Division I college baseball in attendance, averaging 1,537 per home game.[6]
Praise
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 2011-03-20. 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 2011-03-20. 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". 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 14 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.