Plainsman Park Explained

Plainsman Park
Fullname:Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park
Former Names:Plainsman Park (1950–1997)
Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park (1997–2003)
Pushpin Map:USA Alabama#USA
Pushpin Mapsize:150
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Alabama##Location in the United States
Pushpin Relief:1
Address:351 South Donahue Drive
Location:Auburn, Alabama
Coordinates:32.5998°N -85.4897°W
Type:Stadium
Genre:Baseball
Opened:1950
Renovated:1996
Owner:Auburn University
Operator:Auburn University
Surface:Natural Grass/Artificial Turf
Scoreboard:24'0" x 62'4"
Architect:Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons
Capacity:4,096
Record Attendance:5,566
(April 6, 2024 vs. Tennessee)
Dimensions:LF: 315feet
LC: 385feet
CF: 385feet
RC: 360feet
RF: 331feet
Tenants:Auburn Tigers (1950–present)

Plainsman Park, officially Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park, is the college baseball venue for the Auburn University Tigers. As of 2015, its seating capacity is 4,096. In 2003, Baseball America rated the facility the best college baseball venue in the country. The park's signature is its 37feet high left field fence, which is 315feet from home plate. The home team bullpen is located behind the left field fence, forcing media in the press box to use monitors to determine who is warming up.

Plainsman Park was first used as a baseball facility in 1950. In 1996, Auburn significantly renovated Plainsman Park, drawing inspiration from ballparks such as Camden Yards, Fenway Park, and Wrigley Field in their design for the park. The architect was Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons. In 1997, it was renamed Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park in honor of brothers Jimmy and Billy Hitchcock. In 2003, the facility was renamed Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park in honor of longtime trustee Jimmy Samford.

In October of 2022 Auburn's Board of Trustees approved expansion plans for Plainsman Park that would, in phases, add three new components to Plainsman Park: a 1st Base Club, a Right Field Terrace, and (eventually) a Green Monster Terrace. The 1st Base Club would consist of expanded stands down the 1st base line, premium seating and club space, concessions, and improvements to the south entrance of Plainsman Park. The Right Field Terrace would be situated on top of the Josh Donaldson Hitting Lab, which opened in January 2021 thanks to $4.8M in donations from sixty-nine families, individuals, and foundations. The 7,100 sq ft facility is named in recognition of Major League 3B Josh Donaldson, who played at Auburn from 2005 to 2007 before getting drafted with the 48th overall pick with the Chicago Cubs in 2007. The third component of the approved upgrades, a seating terrace above Auburn's Green Monster, is to be completed at a later date. The University has retained Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons, of Jackson, Mississippi, as the project architect.

In 2013, the Tigers ranked 25th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 2,657 per home game.[1]

See also

References

  1. Web site: Cutler. Tami. 2013 Division I Baseball Attendance - Final Report. Sportswriters.net. NCBWA. July 20, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728065411/http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2013/attendance130611.pdf. July 28, 2014. June 11, 2013. dead.

External links