Joe Etzel Field
Baseball stadium on the University of Portland campus in Portland, Oregon, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joe Etzel Field is a 1,300 seat baseball stadium in Portland, Oregon that is home to the University of Portland Pilots baseball team. Previously named Pilot Field (Stadium), it was renamed after former coach and long-time school athletic director Joe Etzel. The stadium is located next to the university's other main athletic facilities, Merlo Field and the Chiles Center.
| |
 Exterior view of the stadium in 2009 | |
 Interactive map of Joe Etzel Field | |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45.573971°N 122.729457°W |
| Owner | University of Portland |
| Capacity | 1,300 |
| Field size | Left Field - 325ft Center Field - 390ft Right Field - 325ft |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1967 |
| Tenants | |
| Portland Pilots baseball | |
| Website | |
| portlandpilots.com/joe-etzel-field | |
History
The school's first baseball diamond was near Howard Hall, and in 1958 was moved to the current location of the Chiles Center.[1] In 1967, a new baseball field was built at the current location, then known as Farley Field.[1] The pilots made it a stadium in 1988,[2] and the first game played at then Pilot Stadium was on February 23, 1988, vs. George Fox University, a 15–1 win for the Pilots, when the stadium had a capacity of 700.[1] The college added 300 seats in 1996.[1]
In 2004, the stadium was renamed as Joe Etzel Field.[3] The baseball team's practice facility, the Andy Pienovi Hitting Facility, was added in 2005.[1] Preliminary campus expansion plans included moving the baseball field from its current location to one on the waterfront in the Triangle Park property.[4] Those plans were abandoned in 2013 with plans to instead renovate the existing stadium.[5] The Pilots added 300 more seats when adding a berm on the first base side in 2015.[1] The school added artificial turf and lighting in 2014 to 2015.[6][7] The upgrades also included larger dugouts and press box improvements.[8] THe sound system was updated in 2022.[9]
Features
The dimensions for the playing field are 325 feet (99 m) down the left field line, 368 feet (112 m) to left-center, 388 feet (118 m) to straight away center, 370 feet (110 m) to right-center, and 325 feet (99 m) down the right field line.[1] Etzel Field's playing surface is AstroTurf.[1] The Andy Pienovi Hitting Facility is located in foul territory in left field.[1] The stadium also includes a press box, concession stands, and bleachers.[1] The pressbox is a single-story, 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) space built using mass timber.[10]
