PK Park is a baseball stadium in the northwest United States, located in Eugene, Oregon. It is the home field of the University of Oregon Ducks of the Big Ten Conference, and during the summer, the home of the minor league Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League.[7][8] The Ducks' program was revived in 2009 after nearly three decades as a club sport.[9]
 PK Park in June 2010 | |
 | |
  Eugene Location in the United States  Eugene Location in Oregon | |
| Address | 2760 M.L. King Jr. Blvd. |
|---|---|
| Location | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 44°03′32″N 123°03′58″W / 44.059°N 123.066°W |
| Owner | University of Oregon |
| Operator | University of Oregon |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Record attendance | 5,097 (July 4, 2017) |
| Field size | Left – 335 ft (102 m) Center – 400 ft (122 m) Right – 325 ft (99 m) |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 15, 2008 [1] |
| Opened | February 27, 2009 (temporary seating)[5] March 2, 2010[6] |
| Construction cost | $19.2 million ($27.3 million in 2023[2]) |
| Architect | DLR Group |
| Structural engineer | KPFF Consulting Engineers[3] |
| General contractor | Lease Crutcher Lewis[4] |
| Tenants | |
| Oregon Ducks (NCAA) (2009–present) Eugene Emeralds (High-A West) (2010–present) | |
PK Park is named after former Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny, whose donations helped to fund the stadium.[10] Designed by sport architect DLR Group, PK Park has 3,000 fixed seats in the main seating bowl and a total capacity of 4,000 spectators. Fan amenities include a video board, landscaped areas for hospitality, a tiered party plaza called "Fowl Territory", a picnic plaza, and eight upper level suites. Located just east of Autzen Stadium, the baseball park was built on the northeast section of the football stadium's parking lot.[11]
The Ducks' home field through 1981 was Howe Field, just south of McArthur Court. The on-campus venue has since been converted to Jane Sanders Stadium, the home of women's softball.
The elevation of the FieldTurf playing field at PK Park is approximately 420 feet (130 m) above sea level. It has an unorthodox alignment, oriented southeast by east (home plate to center field); the recommended alignment of a baseball diamond is east-northeast.[12] The former home venues of Howe Field and Civic Stadium were similar, both aligned southeast.
First seasons
editGround was broken for the facility on August 15, 2008, and the first phase involved construction of the FieldTurf playing field and temporary seating for the 2009 season.[1] In their first game at PK Park on February 27, 2009, the Ducks beat Fresno State, the defending national champions, 1–0 on a walk-off single by senior Andrew Schmidt, witnessed by a sellout crowd of 2,777.[5]
The second phase of the project was the permanent concrete grandstand, built between the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The first game in the completed stadium was on March 2, 2010, a 6–2 win over the Washington Huskies, with 2,609 in attendance.[6]
NCAA tournament
editIn 2012, the park hosted an NCAA Regional and Super Regional. Oregon won the Regional, but was defeated by Kent State in three games in the Super Regional.[13]
In 2013, PK Park again hosted an NCAA Regional, as the Ducks entered the 64-team tournament as a #8 national seed. Oregon lost its second and fifth games, both to the Rice Owls, and were eliminated.
In 2021, Pk Park hosted another regional, as the Ducks entered as the #14 national seed. Oregon fell short when they lost to LSU in the regional championship
Attendance
editIn 2013, the Ducks ranked 34th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,971 per home game.[14]
The park set an Oregon Ducks athletics single-game attendance record of 4,825 on June 11, 2012, in game three of the Super Regional against Kent State; the Golden Flashes defeated the Ducks 3-2.[15] To increase the stadium's capacity for postseason play, two temporary stands were erected beyond the left-center field wall.
The overall attendance record was set in 2017 when 5,097 fans attended a July 4 contest between the Eugene Emeralds and Boise Hawks.[16] The game went on for 20 innings - the longest ever for any professional baseball game to be played on the July 4th Independence Day holiday.[citation needed]
| Rank | Attendance | Opponent | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4,825 | Kent State | June 11, 2012 | NCAA Super Regional |
| 2 | 4,177 | Kent State | June 9, 2012 | NCAA Super Regional |
| 3 | 3,892 | California* | April 28, 2012 | post-Spring football game |
| 3,892 | Stanford* | April 27, 2013 | post-Spring football game | |
| 3,892 | Oregon State | May 18, 2013 | Civil War rivalry | |
| 6 | 3,843 | Kent State | June 10, 2012 | NCAA Super Regional |
| 7 | 3,820 | Oregon State | May 17, 2013 | Civil War rivalry |
| 8 | 3,791 | Washington State* | May 1, 2010 | post-Spring football game |
| 9 | 3,771 | Austin Peay | June 1, 2012 | NCAA Regional |
| 10 | 3,762 | Oregon State | May 19, 2013 | Civil War rivalry |
- * Spring Football game played on the same day (no home baseball game after 2011 spring game).
Previous venue
editIn the program's first period as a varsity sport (1936–1981), the Ducks played at Howe Field, which was converted to the women's softball venue in 1987 after the school eliminated baseball as a varsity sport in 1981.[17] The minor league Eugene Emeralds had played at Civic Stadium from 1969 through 2009, and previously at Bethel Park, located at Roosevelt Boulevard and Maple Street (44°03′52″N 123°08′43″W / 44.0644°N 123.1454°W); its outfield is now Lark City Park.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "University of Oregon Breaks Ground on New Baseball Facility". University of Oregon Athletics. August 15, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "KPFF - Consulting Engineers". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- ^ "Reports". 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Schmidt's Walk-Off Upsets Defending Champs". University of Oregon Athletics. February 27, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ^ a b "First Inning Propels Oregon To Victory". University of Oregon Athletics. March 2, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ^ "PK Park". Eugene Emeralds. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ "PK Park". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "Oregon to Reinstate Baseball Program". The Houston Chronicle Online. Associated Press. July 13, 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ "Pat Kilkenny Biography". Holden Leadership Center. Archived from the original on 2011-08-31. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Bolt, Greg (January 16, 2008). "Autzen emerges as likely UO baseball site". Eugene Register-Guard. p. A1.
- ^ "Playing Field Orientation – Rule 1.04" (PDF). Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ "2012 Super Regional Schedule". D1Baseball.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
- ^ Cutler, Tami (June 11, 2013). "2013 Division I Baseball Attendance – Final Report" (PDF). Sportswriters.net. NCBWA. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ Fentress, Aaron (11 June 2012). "Kent State Advances to College World Series With 3-2 Win Over Oregon Ducks". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ^ Mims, Steve (5 July 2017). "Eugene Emeralds fall to Boise Hawks in 20-inning marathon". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ "About Howe Field". University of Oregon Athletics. Retrieved June 26, 2013.