Shipley Field at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium is a baseball stadium in College Park, Maryland. It has served as the home field of the Maryland Terrapins baseball team at the University of Maryland since 1954. Shipley Field was formerly the home of the College Park Bombers of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League,[1] and was also used as a baseball venue by the Bowie Baysox during the 1994 season.[2] The major league Washington Senators held a practice at Shipley Field on April 8, 1968, when their Opening Day game was postponed in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[3]
 Shipley Field, as viewed from Byrd Stadium, October 2013 | |
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  Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium Location within Maryland  Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium (the United States) | |
| Full name | Shipley Field at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Shipley Field (1956–2009) |
| Address | 4122 Fieldhouse Drive College Park, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 38°59′21″N 76°56′39″W / 38.98917°N 76.94417°W |
| Owner | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Operator | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Type | Stadium |
| Genre(s) | Baseball |
| Capacity | 2,500 |
| Field size |
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| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Scoreboard | Digital |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1953–54 |
| Opened | April 3, 1954 |
| Renovated | 2004, 2015 |
| Construction cost | $40,000 (1954); $150,000 (2004) |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| Official website | |
The stadium holds 2,500 people and opened on April 3, 1954.[4] It was dedicated as Shipley Field to former Maryland baseball coach Burton Shipley on March 28, 1956.[4] On May 8, 2010, it was re-dedicated as Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.[4]
In 2004, a new artificial turf replaced an older turf installation in the stadium's infield, and improvements were made to the under field drainage system.[5] After the 2015 season, the artificial turf infield and bermuda grass outfield were replaced with a FieldTurf surface; new drainage was installed underneath; a home team closed off bullpen was created in left field foul territory; both bullpens received FieldTurf surfaces; and the outfield wall was moved father out.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Ballparks". ripkenscollegebaseball.org. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
- ^ Baker, Kent (February 24, 1994). "Baysox eye home away from home". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021.
- ^ Allen, Scott (March 29, 2018). "Fifty years ago, Nats' Opening Day was postponed after assassination of Martin Luther King Jr". D.C. Sports Bog. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium". University of Maryland Athletics. University of Maryland. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "Colleges & Universities - University of Maryland; College Park, Maryland". Lloyd Civil & Sports Engineering. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
External links
edit- "Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium". University of Maryland Athletics.