The Harrington Athletics Village is a sports complex located on the Brighton Campus at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
 | |
| Full name | Harrington Athletics Village at Brighton Fields |
|---|---|
| Former names | Brighton Fields |
| Address | 2125 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, Massachusetts United States |
| Coordinates | 42°20′38″N 71°09′35″W / 42.343957°N 71.159761°W |
| Main venue | Eddie Pellagrini Diamond Capacity: 2,500[1] |
| Other sports facilities | Boston College Softball Field |
| Public transit |  Green Line at Boston College station |
| Owner | Boston College |
| Opened | March 20, 2018 |
| Tenants | |
| Boston College Eagles baseball (2018–present) | |
| Website | |
| bceagles.com | |
The complex currently consists of the Eddie Pellagrini Diamond, which is home to the Boston College Eagles baseball team; the Boston College Softball Field, which is home to the softball team; and the Pete Frates Center, which is an indoor practice facility and hospitality area for the baseball and softball teams.[1]
History
editBoston College acquired the lands of the Brighton Campus from the Archdiocese of Boston between 2004 and 2007.[2] In the spring of 2004, Boston College began setting the institution's goals for the coming years. Included in the plans were the recently acquired Brighton lands, which called for a 1,500-seat baseball stadium, a 500-seat softball stadium, two intramural fields, and a 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) field house. Future modifications reduced the plans of the fields. The baseball and softball stadium capacities were reduced to 1,000 and 300 seats respectively, while additional changes eliminated the second intramural field and shrunk the field house to 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) before ultimately removing it from this project.[3]
In 2016, the board of trustees at Boston College proposed the redevelopment of the Brighton Campus. The baseball and softball teams previously used Shea Field, which they shared with the football team. The Board of Trustees were motivated to provide the two programs with facilities that exceeded the Atlantic Coast Conference standards since Shea Field was inadequate.[3] The complex development was a part of the ongoing Greater Heights campaign, which are efforts to improve Boston College's athletic programs.[4]
The Brighton Baseball Field was slated to open on March 13, 2018, in Boston College's home opener against Holy Cross but was canceled due to a nor'easter.[5] The stadium opened a week later on March 20, when the Eagles hosted cross-town opponents Northeastern in a non-conference matchup that Northeastern won 7–4 in 18 innings.[6] The softball field opened on April 10, when the Eagles hosted the UMass Minutewomen.[7]
On April 14, 2018, Brighton Fields were dedicated to University Trustee and former CEO of the Boston Red Sox John L. Harrington and renamed Harrington Athletics Village at Brighton Fields.[8]
The Pete Frates Center opened in late 2020 as part of the Phase II of the project.[9]
Venues
editEddie Pellagrini Diamond
editEddie Pellagrini Diamond is the home stadium for Boston College Eagles baseball. The stadium replaces their previous home at Shea Field. The stadium features an artificial turf surface and has a fixed capacity of 1,000 seats, but is expandable to 2,500 for championship events.[1]
Boston College Softball Field
editThe Boston College Softball Field is the home stadium for Boston College Eagles softball. The stadium has an artificial turf surface with a clay infield. There is seating for 300 spectators and can be expanded to 1,000 for championship events.[1]
Pete Frates Center
editThe Pete Frates Center is a 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) indoor practice facility exclusive to the baseball and softball teams. The support building also includes locker rooms for each team. Outside, there is a terrace for fans overlooking the baseball stadium.[9] The Frates Center includes batting cages and pitching mounds for year-round use, a state-of-the-art improvement over the program's previous conditions. Just three years prior, players had to shovel out the snowed-in batting cage in the tunnel to the Beacon Street Garage during the winter months.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Facilities". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Fact Book 2019-2020" (PDF). Boston College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Boston College Brighton Athletics Fields Application for Small Project Review". Boston College. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ "About – Greater Heights". Boston College. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Home Opener Postponed". Boston College Athletics. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ Rubin, Dan (21 March 2018). "Brighton Opens With A Bang - And Lights". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Eagles Open Play in Brighton With a Win Over UMass". Boston College Athletics. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "BC Honors Trustee Harrington with Dedication Ceremony". Boston College Athletics. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ a b Rubin, Dan (15 February 2021). "First Season For Frates Center Gets Underway This Week". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Black, A. J. (21 November 2020). "BC Baseball "Reveals" New Frates Center". Sports Illustrated Boston College Eagles News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 13 April 2021.