USF Baseball Stadium explained

Nickname:"The Red"
Fullname:USF Baseball Stadium at Red McEwen Field
Address:11899 Bull Run Drive
City:Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates:28.0587°N -82.4046°W
Owner:University of South Florida
Operator:University of South Florida
Capacity:3,211 (1,500 seated)
Record Attendance:3,211
Dimensions:Left Field: 325feet
Left Center: 367feet
Center Field: 400feet
Right Center: 370feet
Right Field: 330feet
Surface:Natural grass
Scoreboard:Daktronics
Broke Ground:2010
Architect:Populous
General Contractor:R.R. Simmons
Tenants:USF Bulls (NCAA) 2011–present

USF Baseball Stadium at Red McEwen Field is a baseball stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the University of South Florida Bulls baseball team of the Division I American Athletic Conference.[1] The facility has a capacity of 3,211 spectators.[2] Opening in 2011, it replaced Red McEwen Field as the home of USF's baseball team.[3]

Features of the ballpark include a 1,500-seat grandstand with canopy, a berm which can accommodate over 1,700 additional spectators along each foul line and in left field, in-ground dugouts, fan pavilions, press box, batting cages, a large Daktronics scoreboard, party pavilions in left and right field, and the Donaldson Deck, a party deck where fans can view both the baseball field and adjacent USF Softball Stadium field at the same time.[2]

History

After the demolition of Red McEwen Field following the 2010 season, construction of a new facility on the same location began. The alignment of the new field was changed, with home plate moving from the northwest corner to the southwest corner, to accommodate a concourse shared with the newly constructed neighboring USF Softball Stadium and create the USF Baseball/Softball Complex.[4] The physical field is still named after McEwen, as can be seen on the backstop behind home plate, but the stadium is called USF Baseball Stadium.

Like its predecessor, the field is named after James "Red" McEwen, a local civic leader who helped to establish the university as well as an early booster of the university's athletic programs. He was also the brother of iconic longtime Tampa Tribune sportswriter Tom McEwen. A plaque honoring McEwen sits near the stadium's main entrance.

The new baseball/softball complex was designed by Populous. Construction began shortly after the end of the 2010 season, with the stadium hosting its first game on February 25, 2011. The first game at the ballpark set a new attendance record for USF baseball with 3,126 fans (the old field had a capacity of 2,500). Later that season, the Bulls set a new program attendance record again with a sellout crowd of 3,211 fans in a loss to No. 1 Florida.[5] [6]

In 2011, the first year of the stadium's opening, the Bulls ranked 29th in Division I college baseball in attendance.[7] The team regularly finishes in the top 30 in the nation for annual attendance.

In 2012, college baseball writer Eric Sorenson ranked the stadium as the fifth most underrated venue in Division I baseball.[8]

During a game against Army on March 16, 2017, Bulls pitchers Shane McClanahan and Carson Ragsdale combined to throw the first (and only as of the end of the 2022 season) no-hitter in the stadium's history.

As of the end of the 2021 season, the Bulls have a 239–128–1 record at the stadium

See also

External links

Team website

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2010 USF Baseball, Slide 2 . gousfbulls.com . March 20, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120314051718/http://www.gousfbulls.com/fls/7700/Interactive_Guides/BSB/future_stadium.html . live . March 14, 2012 .
  2. Web site: View the New Baseball Complex . March 14, 2011 . usf.edu . March 20, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823054102/http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?a=3217&z=127 . live . August 23, 2011 .
  3. Web site: "The Red" Had Its Moments for USF Baseball . Scott Carter . May 13, 2010 . The Tampa Tribune . March 20, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121009013055/http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/may/13/130500/sp-the-red-at-usf-had-its-moments/sports-colleges-bulls/ . dead . October 9, 2012 .
  4. Web site: South Florida Set for New Stadium . Brian Foley . December 4, 2009 . College Baseball Daily . March 20, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727185822/http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2009/12/04/south-florida-set-for-new-stadium/ . live . July 27, 2011 .
  5. Web site: Bulls Fall in Extras, 4-3, to Elon . USF Sports information . February 25, 2011 . gousfbulls.com . March 20, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120314051705/http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=36642&SPID=2917&DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=205104021 . live . March 14, 2012 .
  6. Web site: Bulls Set Attendance Record in Loss to Florida . May 6, 2022 . USF Athletics . en.
  7. Web site: 2011 Division I Baseball Attendance. Tami Cutler. December 20, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120608043359/http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/National-Attendance-Report-FINAL.pdf. live. June 8, 2012.
  8. Web site: Sorenson . Eric . October 5, 2012 . Distiller's Dozen - The "Hey, Nice Stadium" Edition . https://web.archive.org/web/20121129065915/http://blogs.eastonbaseball.com/collegebaseballtoday/2012/10/05/distillers-dozen-the-hey-nice-stadium-edition/ . November 29, 2012 . dead . December 14, 2012 . CollegeBaseballToday.com.