Schoonover Stadium

Last updated
Schoonover Stadium
Schoonover Stadium stands 2015.jpg
USA Ohio location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Schoonover Stadium
Location in Ohio
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Schoonover Stadium
Location in United States
Full nameOlga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium
Former namesGene Michael Field (1990–2003)
Location1544 Campus Center Drive
Kent, Ohio, 44242
United States
Coordinates 41°08′08″N81°20′34″W / 41.135646°N 81.342913°W / 41.135646; -81.342913
Owner Kent State University
OperatorKent State University
Capacity 1,148
SurfaceShaw Sports Turf
ScoreboardElectronic
Construction
Opened1966
Renovated2005
Construction cost $3,000,000
Tenants
Kent State Golden Flashes (NCAA)
(1966–present)

Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium is a baseball venue located on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. It is home to the Kent State Golden Flashes baseball team, a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Division I and the Mid-American Conference East Division. The field opened in 1966 and was previously known as Gene Michael Field from 1990 to 2003. The field was renamed in late 2003 and renovated in 2005 with additional upgrades made from 2006 through 2008 and again in 2013 to 2014. It has a seating capacity of 1,148 people with a Shaw Sports Turf synthetic playing surface.

Contents

History

Main seating area in 2010 Schoonover Stadium 1.jpg
Main seating area in 2010

The Golden Flashes have played at the current site of Schoonover Stadium since 1966. It is the fourth location to serve as the team's home field since the team was founded in 1914. After playing their first few seasons at a makeshift field at the bottom of the hill on the original campus, the team played at Rockwell Field from 1920 to 1941, then the southeastern edge of campus. Rockwell Field was also shared with the football and track teams. In 1942, the team moved to a new field along Summit Street that was part of a Works Progress Administration project that also included an adjacent football field surrounded by a cinder track, later known as Memorial Stadium. This baseball field, often referred to just as the "varsity baseball field" served as home to the Flashes until 1960, when the site was needed for construction of a new academic building, later named Bowman Hall. [1] A new field, located on the opposite end of Memorial Stadium from the previous field, opened in 1961, and was often referred to as Memorial Field or "Memorial baseball field". While at Memorial Field, in 1964, the team qualified for its first NCAA tournament and hosted the eventual national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers in the district round of the 1964 NCAA University Division baseball tournament. [2] Memorial Field served as the Flashes' home field through the 1965 season when that site was needed for construction of the university's new 12-story library and a science classroom building later named Williams Hall.

The first game at the current baseball field, which had no official name, was May 3, 1966 against the Ohio State Buckeyes. [3] Initial plans called for the new field to be adjacent to a new football stadium, but the stadium would later be built at a different site further east as Dix Stadium. [4] By 1969, the new varsity baseball field was referred to as Allerton Field as Allerton Street was nearest street at the time of the field's construction. It was a natural grass field with wooden bleacher seating for approximately 700 people. After the conclusion of the 1989 season, a grandstand was added behind home plate, replacing the original wooden bleachers and increasing the seating capacity to approximately 1,000. The project also included a press box, new concession stand, a warning track on the field, a new outfield fence, and updates to the infield, completed prior to the 1990 season. [5] In September 1989, the university named the field in honor of Kent State alumnus Gene Michael, who played and managed professionally in Major League Baseball. [6] It was formally dedicated April 23, 1990. [7]

The Schoonover Foundation donated US$1.53 million to the university in November 2003 and the stadium was renamed for 1949 KSU alumnus Harold "Hal" Schoonover and his wife Julie. [8] The initial donation helped fund a $3 million project that included new dugouts and bullpens, upgrades in seating, a drainage system and artificial FieldTurf playing surface, restroom facilities, and outfield fencing. The renovations were completed in 2005. The first game at the renovated and updated stadium was on April 1, 2005, with Kent State losing to Ohio 6–2 in front of 476 fans. [9] [10]

Area philanthropist Olga Mural donated $1 million towards further renovations to the ballpark in 2006 and the playing field at Schoonover Stadium was named after her in recognition of the contribution. With Mural's donation, a new locker room and players' lounge was built and chairback seating was added to the grandstand in 2007. Additional upgrades including a new scoreboard were installed in 2008. [11]

Facilities

The field is located on the southern edge of the Kent State campus, at the corner of Campus Center Drive and Ohio State Route 261. Adjacent to the field is the Allerton Softball Complex, a set of four intramural softball fields. Immediately north of the field is the indoor practice facility for both the baseball and softball teams, which was built in 2014. Plans call for construction of a new varsity softball field adjacent to the hitting facility as well as upgrades to the seating areas at Schoonover Stadium. [12]

In 2005, the playing surface was changed to FieldTurf, after having previously been natural grass. The FieldTurf was replaced in 2015 by Shaw Sports Turf. After the team's appearance in the 2012 College World Series, permanent lighting was added to the stadium in time for the 2013 season opener. [11]

Schoonover Stadium panorama 2015.jpg
Panorama in 2015

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CEFCU Stadium</span> Stadium at San Jose State University

CEFCU ('sef-kyü) Stadium, formerly known as Spartan Stadium, is an outdoor athletic stadium on the west coast of the United States, located in the Spartan Keyes neighborhood of central San Jose, California. Owned by San José State University, the venue is the longtime home of Spartan football; it also hosts the university's commencement ceremony on Memorial Day weekend, and occasional high school football games. Known as Spartan Stadium for over eight decades, it was renamed in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium</span> Football stadium in Norman, Oklahoma, US

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, also known as Owen Field or The Palace on the Prairie, is the football stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It serves as the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. The official seating capacity of the stadium, following renovations before the start of the 2019 season, is 80,126, making it the 41st largest stadium in the world, the 15th largest college stadium in the United States and the ninth largest in the Southeastern Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium</span> University of Kansas football stadium in Lawrence Kansas

David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is a college football stadium in Lawrence, Kansas, on the campus of the University of Kansas. The stadium was opened in 1921, and is the seventh oldest college football stadium in the country, and is widely recognized as the oldest west of the Mississippi River. It is the home stadium of the Kansas Jayhawks football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dix Stadium</span> American football stadium in Kent, Ohio

Dix Stadium is a stadium in Kent, Ohio, United States. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Kent State Golden Flashes football team. In addition, since 2016 the stadium is also home to the Kent State women's soccer team and since 2019 to the women's lacrosse team. Previously, it was home to the Kent State field hockey team from 1997 to 2004 and served as a secondary home for the KSU men's soccer team in the 1970s. It opened on September 13, 1969 and was named in 1973 after Robert C. Dix, former publisher of the Record-Courier and a member of Kent State's Board of Trustees for more than three decades. It was built as an expansion and relocation of Memorial Stadium, with all of Memorial Stadium's main seating areas used at the current stadium in a new configuration. During soccer games, the playing surface is known as Zoeller Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eck Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Wichita, Kansas, US

Eck Stadium is a baseball stadium in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the south side of 21st Street between Hillside and Oliver on the campus of Wichita State University in northeast Wichita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center</span> Multi-purpose arena on the campus of Kent State University

The Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, often referred to as the MAC Center and the MACC, is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The building is primarily used as an athletic venue that is home to five Kent State Golden Flashes varsity athletic teams: men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, women's gymnastics, and wrestling. In addition, it hosts commencement exercises, speakers, and concerts throughout the year. The building houses the offices of the Kent State Athletic Department and the coaches of each of the university's varsity athletic teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent State Golden Flashes</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Kent State University

The Kent State Golden Flashes are the athletic teams that represent Kent State University. The university fields 19 varsity athletic teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level with football competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Kent State is a full member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and has been part of the MAC East division since it was created in 1998. Official school colors are Kent State Blue and Kent State Gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maverick Stadium</span>

Maverick Stadium is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose stadium on the western edge of University of Texas at Arlington campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Husky Ballpark</span> Baseball park in Seattle, Washington, US

Husky Ballpark is a college baseball park in the Northwestern United States, located on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. Opened 26 years ago in 1998, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Stadium (Kent State)</span> Former stadium at Kent State University

Memorial Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Kent, Ohio, United States, on the campus of Kent State University. Its primary use was as the home field for the Kent State Golden Flashes football team and also served as the home venue for the KSU men's track and field team. The football and track teams had already been playing on the site since 1941, but with temporary bleachers for seating. The permanent grandstand built and dedicated in 1950, which also included a press box, was the first phase of the stadium, and was later followed by a duplicate grandstand on the opposite side of the field in 1954. Initial plans called for the seating to eventually surround the field, though these plans were largely never realized. During the 1960s, additional bleacher seats were added separate from the two main grandstands on all sides of the field, and brought seating capacity to approximately 20,000 by 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent State Golden Flashes baseball</span> College baseball team

The Kent State Golden Flashes baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The team competes at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Mid-American Conference. The head coach is retired Major League Baseball player Jeff Duncan, who was hired in June 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Gould Ballpark</span> Sports venue in Arlington, Texas, US

Clay Gould Ballpark, the home field of the UT Arlington Mavericks, is located on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington. The stadium has a seat capacity of 1,600. Clay Gould Ballpark is located at the intersection of West Park Row Drive and Fielder Road.

The Maryland Terrapins baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of University of Maryland, College Park in College Park, Maryland, United States. The program's first season was in 1893, and it has been a member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference since the start of the 2015 season. Its home venue is Shipley Field at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium, located on Maryland's campus. Matt Swope is the current head coach. The program has appeared in six NCAA tournaments. It has won one conference tournament championship and five regular season conference titles. As of the start of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, 38 former Terrapins have appeared in Major League Baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Baptist Bearcats</span> Athletic teams representing Southwest Baptist University

The Southwest Baptist University Bearcats are the sports teams of Southwest Baptist University located in Bolivar, Missouri. They participate in the NCAA's Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Bearcats had competed in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1986. In 2014, the Bearcats as well as the Lincoln Blue Tigers began competing in the GLVC as a football member-only team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent State Golden Flashes softball</span> College softball team

The Kent State Golden Flashes softball team is an intercollegiate athletic team at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The Flashes play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The head coach since the 2016 season is Eric Oakley. Home games are played at the Judith K. Devine Diamond, a 500-seat facility that opened in 1999. The Flashes also have an indoor practice facility, the David and Peggy Edmonds Baseball and Softball Training Facility, which opened in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incarnate Word Cardinals softball</span> College softball team

The Incarnate Word Cardinals softball team represents the University of the Incarnate Word, located in San Antonio, TX. The Cardinals are a member of the Southland Conference and participate in NCAA Division I college softball. The team is currently led by head coach Kimberly Dean and plays home games at H-E-B Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Saxe Field</span> Sports stadium in Arlington, Texas

Allan Saxe Field is the home of the UTA Mavericks softball team located in Arlington, Texas. As a result of a complete reconstruction in 2014–15, the stadium currently has a capacity of 622. Prior to the renovation, the softball facility had a seating capacity of 250. Adjacent to Clay Gould Ballpark, the stadium is located at the intersection of W. Park Row Drive and Fielder Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albertsons Stadium</span> American football stadium at Boise State University

Albertsons Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Western United States, located on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. It is the home of the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. Known as Bronco Stadium for its first 44 seasons, it was renamed in May 2014 when Albertsons, a chain of grocery stores founded by Boise area resident Joe Albertson, purchased the naming rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockwell Field (Kent State)</span> Sports Field

Rockwell Field was a multi-purpose athletic field on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. It was the first home venue for the Kent State Golden Flashes football and the first permanent home for the KSU baseball program. The field, sometimes referred to as "Normal Field", also hosted football games for the Kent State University School. Rockwell Field served as the home field for Kent State football from the team's inception in 1920 through the 1940 season, the baseball team from circa 1920 through the 1941 season, and the men's track team from their foundation in 1922 through the 1940 season. It was replaced by a new athletic complex that included a field for football with a track and an adjacent baseball field. The new football field and track, later to become Memorial Stadium by 1950, were ready for the 1941 football and 1942 track seasons, while the baseball field opened in 1942.

The University of South Florida athletic facilities are the stadiums and arenas the South Florida Bulls use for their home games and training. The University of South Florida currently sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and has 11 facilities in the designated Athletics District on or adjacent to its Tampa campus, one on its St. Petersburg campus, and one elsewhere in Tampa. 18 of the 19 teams have some sort of facility in the USF Athletics District.

References

  1. "Accept Bids On Planned Classrooms". Daily Kent Stater. January 13, 1961. p. 1.
  2. "Kent Employees Groom Flash Park For Invasion of Gophers on Friday". Daily Kent Stater. April 28, 1964. p. 4.
  3. "Fighting Irish Trip Kent". Daily Kent Stater. May 3, 1966. p. 4.
  4. "Growing Campus May Produce New Stadium, Library". Kent State University Summer News. August 11, 1964. p. 1.
  5. Kennedy, Gregory James (July 19, 1989). "KSU baseball fans will sit pretty in 1990". The Summer Kent Stater. p. 6. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  6. "Sports Briefs". Daily Kent Stater. September 14, 1989. p. 10. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  7. "Michael, Gene, Dedication of Gene Michael Field". Centennial Collection. Kent State University Special Collections and Archives. April 23, 1990. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  8. Harrington, Joe & Russ, Jeff (January 16, 2008). "Former baseball player, stadium namesake dies". KentWired.com. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  9. Peters, Matt (April 4, 2005). "New field highlights Schoonover's debut". KentWired.com. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  10. Harris, Colin (March 28, 2005). "Schoonover on deck as renovated park". KentWired.com. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Schoonover Stadium". KentStateSports.com. 2014. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  12. "Schoonover Complex". KSUBuildingChampions.com. Kent State University. 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.