Dell Diamond

Dell Diamond
Location	3400 East Palm Valley Boulevard Round Rock, Texas
Coordinates	30°31′38″N 97°37′50″W / 30.5273°N 97.6305°W / 30.5273; -97.6305Coordinates: 30°31′38″N 97°37′50″W / 30.5273°N 97.6305°W / 30.5273; -97.6305
Broke ground	February 26, 1999 (1999-02-26)[1]
Opened	August 16, 2000 (2000-08-16)
Owner	City of Round Rock
Operator	Round Rock Express
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$25 million[2] ($31.9 million in 2011 dollars[3])
Architect	HKS, Inc.
General Contractor	Hensel Phelps
Capacity	8,722
Record attendance	13,475 on June 16, 2006
Field dimensions	Left field – 335 feet (102 m) Center field – 407 feet (124 m) Right field – 325 feet (99 m)
Tenants
Round Rock Express (TL) (2000–2004) Round Rock Express (PCL) (2005–present)

The Dell Diamond is the home stadium of the Round Rock Express, the AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball team. On April 16, 2000, the then-AA affiliate Express played their first home game at the stadium.^[4]

The Dell Diamond is built on 85 acres (344,000 m²) of former farmland on the east side of Round Rock, Texas,^[5] a rapidly growing suburban city northeast of Austin. Nolan Ryan and his son Reid Ryan, part owners of the Express, originally wanted a stadium inside the city of Austin, but found a more attractive site in the City of Round Rock, with support from the city leadership. The city of Round Rock contributed $7.35 million to the $20 – 25 million cost of the facility. The city owns the ballpark and gave the Express a 38 year lease. Dell Computer Corporation (now Dell, Inc.) contracted for naming rights in a deal that will cost the company $2.5 million over 15 years.

The Dell Diamond is the home field for the Round Rock Express

The playing field dimensions are 330 feet (101 m) down the left field line, 325 feet (99 m) down the right field line, 375 feet (114 m) to both power alleys, and 407 feet (124 m) to the deepest point in center field. The wall surrounding the outfield is eight feet high.^[6]

Dell Diamond is an open air facility with 8,688 fixed seats with room for almost 3,000 additional fans on an outfield grass berm area. It has 30 private suites, a swimming pool, hot tub, basketball court and playscape among other amenities.^[7]

The stadium has also hosted several college games, including some early-season University of Texas contests in 2007 while the Longhorns' home field, UFCU Disch-Falk Field, had been undergoing a major renovation project. Dell Diamond is also the designated site for the University Interscholastic League state baseball tournament.

References

1. ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0E9C21F53A5B5E24&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
2. ^ http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/minors/round-rock.html
3. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
4. ^ Jacobs, Janet (14 January 2011). ""Dell Roots, Roots, Roots for the Home Team"". Austin American-Statesman. 
5. ^ Round Rock Express "The Dell Diamond". 16 April 2005. http://www.roundrockexpress.com/default.asp?pageId=54 Round Rock Express. 
6. ^ MLN Sports Zone - Top Ten Ballparks (May), "MLN Top Ten Ballparks 2006 - No. 1", http://www.minorleaguenews.com/baseball/features/articles2006/05/15/01.html 
7. ^ Minor League News (April), "MLN Top Ten Ballparks 2005", http://www.minorleaguenews.com/baseball/features/articles2005/04/21/03.html