Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium explained

Stadium Name:Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium
Pushpin Map:USA Maryland#USA
Pushpin Relief:yes
Location:873 Long Drive
Aberdeen, Maryland 21001
Coordinates:39.5309°N -76.186°W
Broke Ground:October 19, 2000[1]
Opened:June 18, 2002[2]
Owner:City of Aberdeen
Operator:Maryland Stadium Authority
Surface:Artificial Turf
Construction Cost:$18 million[3]
($ in dollars)
Architect:Design Exchange Architects Inc.
Ripken Design
Project Manager:Heery International[4]
General Contractor:Baltimore Contractors LLC
Tenants:Aberdeen IronBirds (NYPL/South Atlantic League) 2002–present
Seating Capacity:6,300[5]
Dimensions:Left Field – 310feet
Center Field – 400feet
Right Field – 310feet

Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium is the home of the Aberdeen IronBirds, an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles in the South Atlantic League. The stadium is located in Aberdeen, Maryland. The 6,300-seat Ripken Stadium held its first game on June 18, 2002. As of 2011 the team had sold out every home game at Ripken Stadium since it began playing there in 2002.[6] [7]

The stadium is part of Cal Ripken Jr.'s Aberdeen Complex in his hometown of Aberdeen, Maryland, located just off Interstate 95 at Maryland Route 22. Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium is only 2.9 miles off the East Coast Greenway. The complex also includes several smaller fields for local youth sports leagues, as well as an adjacent Marriott hotel. The stadium is the closest structure of the complex to the highway, with the right field fence and scoreboard visible from it. The stadium hosts soccer matches as well.

The expansive parking lot of Ripken Stadium is frequently used as a venue for SCCA autocross racing for many racers on the east coast.

Features

The stadium features a three-tiered cafe behind home plate, available for patrons who want to have dinner and drinks during a game. The upper level has a press box behind home plate, 256 club seats and six skyboxes. Ripken Stadium was one of the first short-season Single-A ballparks to have a fully enclosed club level and skyboxes.[4] A new synthetic turf playing surface and LED sports lighting were installed prior to the 2021 regular season.[8]

Notable events

In 2009, The Maryland Redbirds, of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, (the CRSCBL), played all weekday games and one weekend doubleheader at the stadium. The CRSCBL previously used the stadium for the annual all-star game in 2005 and 2007. The stadium also hosted the inaugural Ripken Cup collegiate baseball invitational between University of Maryland and Towson University on April 15, 2014 and May 7, 2014.[9] The 2016 Big East Conference baseball tournament was held in Aberdeen May 26–29.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Groundbreaking Set for Aberdeen Stadium. The Baltimore Sun. October 19, 2000. June 3, 2014.
  2. News: Facility Opening: Ripken Stadium. David. Broughton. SportsBusiness Journal. June 17, 2002. June 3, 2014.
  3. News: The Error in Aberdeen. The Baltimore Sun. December 16, 2007. June 3, 2014.
  4. News: Only the Players Are Minor-League. Edward. Gunts. The Baltimore Sun. June 16, 2002. June 3, 2014.
  5. Web site: Ripken Stadium. Minor League Baseball. February 6, 2009. October 29, 2013.
  6. Web site: IronBirds Close Out Season With One Last Walk-Off Win . Minor League Baseball . September 5, 2010 . May 19, 2011 . https://archive.today/20240525084350/https://www.webcitation.org/5yo1JTQew?url=http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp%3Fymd=20100905 . May 25, 2024 . The IronBirds front office staff would like to send out a big "thank you" to the fans for making 2010 another sell-out season. . dead .
  7. Web site: Harford to Play Pair of April Baseball Games at Ripken Stadium . Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference . April 15, 2011 . May 19, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111009181343/http://www.mdjuco.org/index_news.cfm?id=152 . October 9, 2011 . The 6,300 capacity stadium is one of two stadiums in the history of baseball to sell out every home game in franchise history. . dead .
  8. News: The value of pitching inside and Aberdeen's new playing surface . Melewski . Steve . . April 30, 2021 . April 30, 2021.
  9. News: Ripken Stadium to Host Inaugural Ripken Cup. The Baltimore Sun. February 18, 2014. June 3, 2014.