 |
Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium
Sancet Field (Baseball) 2007-06-25 The University of Arizona
The home of Arizona baseball is Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium. The park is located on the campus of the University of Arizona, adjacent to the McKale Center, home of the UA athletics
department. Arizona started playing its games at the current location in 1967. Modernization of the facility was completed for the 1975 season.
Originally called Wildcat Field, the park was officially dedicated Frank Sancet Field on April 19, 1986, in honor of Arizona's longtime head coach. Sancet, who
coached from 1950-72, posted an 831-283-8 (.744) mark at the helm of the Cats.
He led Arizona to 16 postseason appearances in his 23 years, including nine College World Series trips.
In January 2004, the facility was rededicated to honor two of collegiate baseball's most highly regarded coaches, Sancet and
Jerry Kindall.
The former Wildcat skippers combined to win 1,691 games at UA, advance to 14 College World Series and win three national
titles.
Over the years, major improvements have been made to the facility.
In 1988, a $160,000 scoreboard, complete with a computerized message center was purchased through advertising contracts with Gatorade
and The Arizona Daily Star.
Two years later, teams were provided a little more comfort than in previous seasons when new dugouts were
added. They were built back deeper into the stands and are
equipped with storage rooms. In 1997, the press box was
improved and nearly tripled in size.New fencing has been
put in as well as astroturf in front of the dugouts.
The Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium outfield is Bermuda, while the infield is a Tif-Green. The
infield consists of Stabilizer Red dirt, and Stabilizer Clay is used around home plate and on the mound.
In the past year, a new irrigation system was installed for the infield grass and dirt.
The grounds crews overseeds the field in November with a Perennial Rye, Arnold Palmer II, to prepare it for the
season.
The spacious playing field carries a distance of 360 feet down each foul line, 378 feet to the power alleys and 400 feet to center
field. A 12-foot fence comes in to left and right center before giving
way to a six-foot fence across the center field area. Eight poles of
light provide a well-illuminated field for evening games. In 1995, Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium got its own "Green Monster" with the installation of a wall designed to block traffic lights during
night games. In 2006, Sancet Stadium recieved a few upgrades. A brand new pres box was constucted and grass seating was installed . Future upgrades are planned for 2007 including
the addition of a shade screen over the grand stands, locker rooms and a clubhouse.
Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium has proven to be quite a home field advantage for the Cats, as Arizona has posted a 32-year mark of 820-343-3 (.705)
in more than 1,100 games. UA has had just three losing records at Sancet Stadium
and nearly reached perfection in 1974 with a 37-1 home campaign. The stadium has
also been the site of four NCAA Regionals (1979, '80, '89 and '92).
|
