Scoreboard Electronic Capacity 2,000 Phone +1 618-453-5311 | Renovated 1988, 2000, 2011 Opened 1964 | |
Location Saluki Drive, Carbondale, Illinois, USA Operator Southern Illinois University Field size 340 ft. (LF), 370 ft. (LCF), 390 ft. (CF), 370 ft. (RCF), 340 ft. (RF) Surface Rye grass (infield), Bermuda grass (outfield) Address 1490 Douglas Dr, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA Owner Southern Illinois University System Similar McAndrew Stadium, Saluki Stadium, SIU Arena, Bob Warn Field at Sycamor, Duffy Bass Field | ||
Abe martin field press box comes down
Abe Martin Field is a baseball venue in Carbondale, Illinois, USA. It is home to the Southern Illinois Salukis baseball team of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. The field, opened in 1964, holds 2,000 spectators. It is named for former Southern Illinois baseball coach Abe Martin. In recent years, both alumni and fans have complained about the venue's outdated features, but renovation plans were announced in May 2011.
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History
After the field's 1964 construction, it remained undedicated until 1972. On April 30, 1972, the field was formally dedicated to Abe Martin. Martin coached Saluki baseball for 19 seasons (1946–1964) during a 33-year tenure at the university. A scoreboard was also added around the time of the dedication.
In the decades after the facility's opening, several minor improvements were made. In 1966, new bleachers, believed to have been taken from Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, were added. Sportsman's, the former home of Major League Baseball's both St. Louis Cardinals and Browns, had closed earlier that year. In 1988, a clubhouse was built. 2000 renovations saw bermuda grass installed in the outfield and batting cages beyond the right field fence. In 2006, an electronic scoreboard was constructed past the right center field fence.
2011 renovations
As Martin Field entered its fifth decade of use, calls for improving the aging facility increased. The facility, called "Ancient Abe" by writer Todd Hefferman, is the oldest in use by a Missouri Valley Conference team. In 2011, plans were made to update the field.
The university announced in May 2011 a fundraising campaign to renovate Abe Martin Field. Planned additions include stadium lighting, a press box, fencing, and new dugouts. A new seating structure will be built, and Martin's combination rye and Bermuda grass surface will be replaced by FieldTurf. Saluki head baseball coach Ken Henderson supported the effort, saying, "To take the next step, to take that next big step, we've gotta have that facility." Computer images of the future facility were made available.