Vincent–Beck Stadium

Vincent–Beck Stadium (formerly Cardinal Field) is a ballpark located in Beaumont, Texas on Jim Gilligan Way on the campus of Lamar University. The stadium was built in 1969 and has a current capacity of 3,500 spectators. It is the home stadium of the Lamar Cardinals baseball team. It was also home to the Beaumont Golden Gators, a minor league Double-A Texas League affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1983–1986) as well as the Beaumont Bullfrogs of the Central Baseball League (1994). The facility is named after former Major League Baseball coach Al Vincent and Bryan Beck, a former member of the Lamar University board of regents.

Vincent–Beck Stadium
The Beck
Former namesCardinal Field (1969–1981)
LocationJim Gilligan Way, Beaumont, TX 77705
Coordinates30°02′05.8″N 94°04′30″W
Public transit(BMT) Virginia and Rolfe Christopher
OwnerLamar University
OperatorLamar University
Seating type700 chairback seats
2,800 bleacher seats
Capacity3,500
Record attendance3,563 vs LSU (February 24, 2016)[1]
  • Attendance only available from 1991 season forward
Field sizeLeft Field: 325 ft (99 m)
Left Center: 370 ft (113 m)
Center Field: 380 ft (116 m)
Right Center (370 ft (113 m)
Right Field: 325 ft (99 m)
Field shapeSymmetrical
SurfaceInfield – Hellas Fusion Triple Play (2019–)[2]
Olympia Turf (2008–2018)
Natural Grass (1969–2007)
Outfield – Hellas Fusion XP2 (2019–)
Natural Grass (1969–2018)
ScoreboardElectronic with video screen
Construction
Opened1969 (1969)
RenovatedMinor Renovations: 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2018–2019
Major Renovations: 2006, 2010
Expanded1981, 1982 (1982) – 1983 (1983) (seats added for Beaumont Golden Gators minor league team)
Tenants
Lamar Cardinals (NCAA) (1969–present)
Beaumont Golden Gators (TL) (1983–1986)
Beaumont Bullfrogs (CBL) (1994)

The ballpark hosted the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament in 1993 and the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament in 2001, 2002, and 2006.[3]

As the 2015 season began, the Cardinals had a 900-436-4 win/loss record at Vincent–Beck Stadium for a 67.3% winning record.[4]

The stadium has been expanded several times and has had numerous renovations over its existence. Ground breaking for installation of new turf at the stadium was held on October 22, 2018. The project was completed in January, 2019.[5] Infield turf is Hellas Construction Fusion Triple play. Outfield turf is Hellas Construction Fusion XP2.[6][7] Estimated cost for the project is $1.5 million.[8] Other improvements in 2019 were concentrated on the dugouts. Protective netting was installed, and dugout drainage was improved. [5]

Features

The stadium includes the following:

  • Lighting for night games
  • Twenty foot tall batter's eye in center field
  • Three foot brick wall extending from dugout to dugout behind home plate
  • Dugouts
  • Pressbox with two radio broadcast booths and additional media working space
  • 700 chairback seats and total permanent capacity of 3,500
  • Locker Rooms including 35 custom built oak lockers
  • Players Lounge
  • All weather batting cages
  • Hellas Fusion turf - Infield (Fusion XP) and Outfield (Fusion XP2)
  • 9,600 sq ft Indoor Practice Facility[9]

Recovery from Hurricane Rita

Vincent–Beck Stadium was severely damaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005. The following repairs and enhancements were made to the stadium before and during the 2006 baseball season.[10]

  • Replace press box – press box had been blown off its supports and was damaged
  • Replace outfield fences – Fences were blown down
  • Replace field lights
  • Replace score board – new scoreboard was an enhancement and included a small video board
  • Replace seats

On January 9, 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded Lamar University $1.1 million to help with the uninsured portion of the loss.[11]

Attendance

Source:[1][12]

Top ten attendance
DateOpponentAttendance
Top Ten Single Game Crowds
February 24, 2016LSU3,563
March 16, 2004Texas A&M3,416
1998Western Kentucky3,306
1994LSU3,079
1992Texas2,523
April 8, 2009Rice1,845
March 22, 2011Rice1,827
1999Rice1,820
1993Arkansas State1,706
1996Texas A&M1,648
  • Note: Attendance is limited to 1991 season forward. Attendance is not available for earlier seasons.

Yearly attendance

Below is a list of the attendance by year from the 1991 season forward.
Source:[1][12]

SeasonAverageHighHigh Opponent
Yearly Attendance
20197481,091BYU
20185241,111McNeese
20175241,122Illinois, Milwaukee
20168183,563LSU
20157241,032Illinois, New Mexico State
20147631,252New Orleans
20136451,039Nicholls
20128201,727Rice
20118561,827Rice
20105261,113Rice
20095151,845Rice
2008450706Louisiana–Lafayette
20074841,312Rice
20065481,054Texas A&M
20056411,564Rice
20046963,416Texas A&M
20035991,549Texas–Arlington
20024971,262McNeese State
20014661,479Texas–Arlington
20004941,628Rice
19995271,820Rice
19983523,306Western Kentucky
19975711,103Rice
19965111,648Texas A&M
1995437832Texas State
19947583,079LSU
19936971,706Arkansas State
19923782,523Texas
19912121,134Sam Houston State

As of the 2019 season.

Views from Vincent-Beck Stadium
  • Infield and batter's cage
  • Chair back seating
  • Playing field from the right field seats
  • Vincent-Beck Stadium scoreboard
  • Playing field from the left field seats
  • Looking toward the press box
  • Ramp to left field line deck
  • Picnic area along the left field line
  • Championship honors board at the stadium
  • 9,600 sq ft indoor training facility

See also

References
  1. "Cardinals complete comeback, down No. 5 LSU". Lamar Cardinals Athletics. February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  2. "Vincent-Beck Olympia Turf Project Completed". Lamar University Department of Athletics. February 19, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  3. http://www.lamarcardinals.com/facilities/vincent-beck-stadium.html
  4. "Lamar Cardinal Baseball (Games 1-4)" (PDF). Lamar University Department of Athletics. Retrieved February 14, 2015. The Cards hold an impressive 900-436-4 record within its walls, winning 67 percent of the games played at home.
  5. Matt Faye (January 25, 2019). "Lamar baseball returns to updated Vincent Beck Stadium". Hearst Newspapers, II LLC. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  6. Cooper Welch (October 24, 2018). "Cardinal Baseball Announces New Turf Field". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  7. "HELLAS CONSTRUCTION SELECTED BY LAMAR UNIVERSITY FOR BASEBALL STADIUM UPGRADE". Hellas Construction. October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  8. "Quarterly Board of Regents Meeting August 16 - 17, 2018 Lost Pines, TX" (PDF). Texas State University System. August 16, 2018. p. 509. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  9. "LAMAR'S STRAIT BASEBALL TRAINING FACILITY NOW COMPLETE". Lamar University Department of Athletics. November 10, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  10. http://www.lamarcardinals.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/020906aaa.html
  11. http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2007/01/09/fema-awards-another-51-million-rita-disaster-aid-texas
  12. "Archived Team-By-Team Final Statistics". NCAA.org. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
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