L.P. Frans Stadium | |
Logo Image: | File:L.P._Frans_Stadium.jpg |
Location: | 2500 Clement Boulevard Hickory, North Carolina, US |
Coordinates: | 35.7492°N -81.3786°W |
Broke Ground: | September 21, 1992[1] |
Opened: | April 16, 1993[2] |
Owner: | Hickory Baseball, Inc. |
Operator: | Hickory Baseball, Inc. |
Surface: | Grass |
Construction Cost: | $4.5 million ($ in dollars) |
Architect: | Lescher and Mahoney CBSA Architects, Inc. |
Services Engineer: | Brittain Engineering, Inc.[3] |
General Contractor: | Wayne Brothers, Inc.[4] |
Capacity: | 5,062 (4,000 fixed seats) |
Record Attendance: | 5,283 |
Dimensions: | Left Field: 330feet Center Field: 401feet Right Field: 330feet |
Tenants: | Hickory Crawdads (SAL) 1993–present Catawba Valley Stars (GSL/CVCL) 2009–present |
L.P. Frans Stadium is a stadium in Hickory, North Carolina. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Hickory Crawdads Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League. It was built in 1993 and has a fixed seating capacity of roughly 4,000.
L.P. Frans Stadium is located 3miles from I-40 in Winkler Park. It was built on land donated by Elmer Winkler in 1993 and named after the local Pepsi-Cola bottler who partially funded the stadium's construction.[5]
Improvements made to the stadium after the 2013 season brought a brand new VIP section, a picnic pavilion, and three outdoor party patios. A completely renovated Crawdads Cafe, suites, and concourse were also a part of the improvements.[6] Following the 2017 season, another round of renovations was announced. The renovations included a new HD video board, a new playing surface, renovated dugouts, replacing the outfield walls, and removing the support poles holding up the protective netting to improve sightlines.