Husky Ballpark
| Husky Ballpark | |
|---|---|
 Chaffey Field at Husky Ballpark in July 2009 |
|
| Location | University of Washington Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°39′17″N 122°17′56″W / 47.65472°N 122.29889°WCoordinates: 47°39′17″N 122°17′56″W / 47.65472°N 122.29889°W |
| Broke ground | 1997 |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Owner | University of Washington |
| Surface | infield FieldTurf - (2005–present) AstroTurf - (1998–2004) outfield natural grass (1998–present) |
| Capacity | 1,500 - (current} 3,200 - (under construction) |
| Field dimensions | Left Field: 327 ft (100 m) L. Center: 365 ft (111 m) Center (L.): 385 ft (117 m) Center (R.): 395 ft (120 m) R. Center: 365 ft (111 m) Right Field: 317 ft (97 m) |
| Tenants | |
| Washington Huskies - (NCAA) 1998–present |
|
Husky Ballpark is a college baseball stadium on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. It is the home field of the Washington Huskies of the Pac-12 conference. The playing field was renamed for donor Herb Chaffey in May 2009. [1][2]
Husky Ballpark has a seating capacity of 1,500 and is located about 600 yards (550 m) north of Husky Stadium; the ballpark's left field wall borders wetlands adjacent to Union Bay. The UW's natural grass soccer stadium is adjacent to the north.
Contents |
[edit] History
Originally slated for a permanent concrete grandstand, the spectator seating area was temporary bleachers for fourteen seasons. A new concrete grandstand is scheduled to be constructed, possibly in the summer of 2012. Opened for pre-season practice in early January 1998, the first regular season game at Husky Ballpark was played on February 27 against Gonzaga.[3]
For its first seven seasons, the ballpark's infield was AstroTurf, with the standard cut-out sliding pits at all of the bases. (photo) Until 2004, it was the only artificial turf in the conference.
When FieldTurf was installed prior to the 2005 season, the dirt sliding pits at the three bases were eliminated. The only cut-out portions that remained dirt are the home plate area and the pitcher's mound. The basepaths and infield "skin" portion, normally dirt on a natural grass field, is gold-colored FieldTurf, & the warning track around the perimeter is purple. The outfield of Husky Ballpark has been natural grass since its opening in 1998; with excellent drainage, the bluegrass, rye, and fescue mix allows play in all weather. During the summer months, the ballpark is used extensively by youth, semi-pro, and recreational teams.
This combination of an all FieldTurf infield and a natural grass outfield is similar to two other Pac-12 ballparks in the Northwest. Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman installed an all FieldTurf infield for the 2004 season and Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in Corvallis installed its in 2007; both had been conventional natural grass fields like the other six ballparks in the Pac-12.
The lighted playing field at Husky Ballpark is oriented in an unorthodox configuration, with the batter and catcher facing southeast, resulting in difficult visual conditions for the fielders on the left side of the diamond for games played near sunset. (The recommended orientation of a baseball diamond is east-northeast.) [4]
[edit] Chaffey Field
Husky Ballpark was renamed for donor Herb Chaffey in a ceremony on May 9, 2009. Chaffey is a 1961 graduate of the university and the founder of Chaffey Homes.[1] The university board of regents approved the name change in July 2009, but later discovered that the athletic deparment's intent was to name only the playing field after Chaffey, not the entire facility. The board amended the action in January 2011 and now "Chaffey Field" refers to the playing field only.[2]
[edit] 2011 stadium construction
Ground was broken in late July 2011 on a $15 million dollar project that will include a 3,200-seat covered concrete, steel, and masonry grandstand. A press box, concession stands, restrooms, suites, team locker room, equipment and medical training rooms, coaches and umpires locker facilities, and a video training area will be included. The donors building will provide a dual use team classroom/players' lounge and donor gathering space with a kitchen and viewing deck. The deck will connect to a special external donor seating section. The new stadium will be designed by SRG Partnership [5] and built by Bayley Construction.[6][7]
The first stage of the project is the $4 million baseball operations building, along the first base line; the concrete grandstand will be built later.[8][9]
[edit] Former venue
[edit] Graves Field
From the 1960s through the 1997 season, the Huskies played at Graves Field, a natural grass field located at the northeast corner of campus.[7] East of the golf driving range, its outfield wall bordered NE 45th Street in left and Union Bay Place (now Mary Gates Memorial Drive) in right. In the pre-season of January and February, the Huskies normally did not practice on the field, but on the AstroTurf of Husky Stadium. The unlit Graves Field was named after former head coach Tubby Graves, who led the Huskies from 1923 to 1946, and was also an assistant coach for football and basketball.
Prior to Graves Field, the UW baseball field was on the north side of Hec Edmundson Pavilion, [10][11][12] Most of the Montlake area was a landfill until the late 1950s.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Seattle Times - UW baseball- 2009-05-09
- ^ a b University of Washington - Board of Regents - meeting - January 2011 - accessed 2011-12-17
- ^ gohuskies.com - No. 12 Baseball Begins New Era - 1998-02-25
- ^ MLB.com - playing field orientation - rule 1.04 - accessed 2010-04-10
- ^ "srgpartnership.com". srgpartnership.com. http://www.srgpartnership.com/. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
- ^ "bayley.net". bayley.net. http://www.bayley.net/. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
- ^ a b Go Huskies.com - facilities - baseball
- ^ The Daily - Budget approved for new building in Husky Ballpark renovation - 2010-09-30 - accessed 2011-12-17
- ^ Go Huskies.com - A new beginning': Huskies baseball welcomes work starting on new operations building - 2011-07-28 - accessed 2011-12-17
- ^ University of Washington - digital collections - UW campus photographs - 1947
- ^ University of Washington - digital collections - UW campus photographs - 1949
- ^ University of Washington - digital collections - UW campus photographs - 1960
- ^ University of Washington - digital collections - UW campus photographs - 1958
[edit] External links
- Go Huskies.com - Husky Ballpark's New FieldTurf - photos - 2005-01-28
- UW campus map - Husky Ballpark
- Aerial image (2002) and topographic map of UW campus from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||
