- Montpelier Recreation Field
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Montpelier Recreation Field Location Worcester Branch Road and Baseball Drive, Montpelier, Vermont, USA Coordinates 44°16′46″N 72°34′21″W / 44.279421°N 72.572486°WCoordinates: 44°16′46″N 72°34′21″W / 44.279421°N 72.572486°W Built 1940 Surface Natural Grass Scoreboard Yes Capacity 1,200 Tenants Vermont Mountaineers (NECBL) (2003-present) Montpelier Recreation Field is a baseball venue located in Montpelier, Vermont, USA and is the home field of the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The field has served as the Mountaineers home since 2003.[1].
Contents
History
The Montpelier Senators and the Twin City Trojans
The field was constructed in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration[2], with support from the depression-era Federal Government, featuring a 1,200 seat capacity grandstand (which is still in use today) and bleachers down the firstbase and thirdbase lines.[3]. In the first decade of its existence, starting from 1941, it was home to the Montpelier Senators and, later the Twin City Trojans.
Robin Roberts
During this time the Robin Roberts played at Rec Field for the Twin City Trojans. He remembers his time at the Rec Field fondly: "It was a great experience ... you can’t imagine a guy that age having a better summer then we had in Vermont"[4], "We were really good then. I won 17 straight starts that year in Vermont"[5]. In 1976 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame[6].
Vermont Mountaineers
When the league folded in 1952 Rec Field endured a half-century without a professional tenant. This ended in 2003 when the New England Collegiate Baseball League voted to award a franchise to a local Montpelier baseball group.[7] Since then the Rec Field has been the home of the Vermont Mountaineers, enjoying high attendances and success on the field, with the Mountaineers reaching the post-season in six of their seven seasons, including an active six-year streak.
Full list of tenants
- 1941-1952 - Montpelier Senators of the Second Northern League.
- 1941-1952 - Twin City Trojans of the Second Northern League.
- 2003-present - Vermont Mountaineers of the NECBL.
Attendance
In their inaugural season the Mountaineers enjoyed the highest average attendance in the league and have consistently been near the top of the league in this category since.[8]
Season Game Avg. League Rk. 2003 1,666 1st 2004 1,643 3rd 2005 1,707 2nd 2006 1,754 2nd 2007 1,518 3rd 2008 1,720 3rd 2009 1,350 3rd Notable events
- Robin Roberts Night, July 21, 2003. Robin took the mound at the Rec Field for the first time since 1947, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in front of nearly 3,000 fans.
- The 2004 All-Star Game drew 4,127 to Montpelier Recreation Field, a then-NECBL record for highest All-Star Game attendance.[9]
External links
- Vermont Mountaineers website
- NECBL website
- Montpelier Recreation Field photo gallery at digitalballparks.com
References
- ^ Vermont Mountaineers stadium page at thevermontmountaineers.com
- ^ Montpelier Recreation Field at waymarking.com
- ^ Baseball in Vermont at the vermontmountaineers.com
- ^ Robin Roberts at thevermontmountaineers.com
- ^ Robin Roberts and the Mountaineers by Bill Doyle at thenorthfieldnews.com
- ^ Robin Roberts at baseballhalloffame.org
- ^ Vermont Baseball at dufresnegroup.com
- ^ NECBL team statistics archive at necbl.com, URL accessed December 21, 2008
- ^ All-Star Game 2004 at necbl.com
Current Ballparks of the New England Collegiate Baseball League East Division The Ball Park (Old Orchard Beach) · Cardines Field (Newport) · Fraser Field (North Shore) · Goodall Park (Sanford) · Paul Walsh Field (New Bedford) · Robbie Mills Field (Laconia)West Division Alumni Field (Keene) · Fitch High School (Mystic) · Joe Wolfe Field (North Adams) · Mackenzie Stadium (Holyoke) · Montpelier Recreation Field (Vermont) · Rogers Park (Danbury)Categories:- Sports venues in Vermont
- Minor league baseball venues
- New England Collegiate Baseball League ballparks
- Works Progress Administration in Vermont
- Montpelier, Vermont
- Buildings and structures in Washington County, Vermont
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