Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium is a college baseball stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. It has been the home field of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college baseball team since 1930.[1] The current stadium opened in 2002.[1]
"The Rusty C" | |
 A view of the ballpark during a 2023 game vs North Carolina. | |
 | |
| Former names | Rose Bowl Field (1930-1985) |
|---|---|
| Location | 255 Ferst Drive, N.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30318 |
| Coordinates | 33°46′39″N 84°23′41″W / 33.777491°N 84.394771°W |
| Owner | Georgia Tech |
| Operator | Georgia Tech Athletic Association |
| Capacity | Chairback Seats: 1,100 Bench Seats: 2,618 Total Seats: 3,718 |
| Field size | Left Field - 328 ft (100 m) Left Center Field - 391 ft (119 m) Center Field - 400 ft (122 m) Right Center Field - 353 ft (108 m) Right Field - 334 ft (102 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Renovated | 1985, 2002, 2020 |
| Construction cost | $9.7 million USD (2002 renovation) |
| Architect | Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK) |
| Tenants | |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball (ACC) ACC Tournament (1985) | |
History
edit
Rose Bowl Field
editThe original stadium was built in 1930, using the payoff from the football team's participation in the 1929 Rose Bowl. The entire complex, which included three football practice fields, was named Rose Bowl Field. The complex stood behind a stone wall along 5th and Fowler streets.
In 1971, the permanent grandstand was torn down to make way for the extension of 5th Street. Lights were added in 1983.
Original stadium
editThe stadium existed with only bleacher seats until 1985, when A. Russell Chandler, III (BSIE '67) funded construction of a new grandstand that opened in time for Tech's centennial year.[1] Fans of Georgia Tech baseball affectionately called it "The Rusty C" due to its extensive use of aluminum as a construction material.
Current stadium
editThe stadium was completely rebuilt in 2002. The new stadium features more brick and less aluminum in its construction materials than the previous one, but "Beesball" fans still affectionately refer to it as "The Rusty C." The stadium is located on the Georgia Tech campus in the heart of Atlanta's midtown area and offers fantastic views of the Atlanta skyline.[2] On April 9, 2008, the stadium set an attendance record of 4,609 for the Yellow Jackets versus the Georgia Bulldogs game held that night. The crowd totally eclipsed previous marks for both post-season (4,468 vs. Southern California on June 2, 2000) and regular-season games (4,264 vs. Georgia on March 27, 2002). One ranking of college baseball stadium experiences ranks it three [3]
In 2020 the stadium was renovated again with a new facility called Champions Hall, as well as updated premium seating areas. This dropped the capacity from over 4,000 down to the current number of 3,718. The venue was renamed Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.[4]
Description
edit
Field
editField Dimensions:
- Left Field: either 328 or 329 feet (~100m), depending on whether you believe the official media guide or the foul line post.
- Left Center: 391 feet (119 m)
- Center Field: 400 feet (122 m)
- Right Center: 353 feet (108 m)
- Right Field: 334 feet (102 m)
Due to the asymmetric shape of the field, the deepest point is actually 409 feet and lies just to the left of center field.
The fence height is a uniform 10 feet.
Seating
editSeating capacity: 3,718
This figure includes 1,100 chairback seats (mostly behind home plate, but also the front rows along the first and third baselines and several "open-air" skybox areas) and over 2,000 bleacher seats. There is room for additional expansion of the bleacher sections along the third base line that will bring the total seating capacity to over 4,000 seats, and there is ample spectator room adjacent to the bullpen along the first base line.[1]
In 2013, the Yellow Jackets ranked 42nd among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,525 per home game.[5]
Facilities and features
editThe facility has a clubhouse and locker room, training area and team rooms, indoor and outdoor hitting cages, press box, lights for night play, bench and stadium chair seating, suites, entry plaza, concessions and restrooms.[6]
Parking
editThere are no dedicated parking facilities for Russ Chandler Stadium. Recommended surface lots on the Georgia Tech campus in the vicinity of the stadium include the adjacent Klaus College of Computing Parking Deck, Peters Parking Deck, and the McCamish Pavilion lot. Limited street parking may be available on campus, but those parking along Fowler Street past the right field fence and wall could be subject to damage from long home runs. The O'Keefe lot and others nearby (Architecture and Van Leer Electrical Engineering lots) are no longer available due to construction or other campus projects. Consult The Georgia Tech Athletic Association, Rusty C, or Beesball.com website links provided in the "External links" section below for maps and more detailed information on recommended parking.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d The Official 2006 Georgia Tech Baseball Media Guide
- ^ Przygocki, Al (February 8, 2002). "The New Russ Chandler Stadium: Flashy beginning for baseball". The Technique. Retrieved September 15, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ "Russ Chandler Stadium Reviews, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Stadium Journey". Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ "Tech Baseball Facilities Named Mac Nease Baseball Park". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. February 9, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Cutler, Tami (June 11, 2013). "2013 Division I Baseball Attendance - Final Report" (PDF). Sportswriters.net. NCBWA. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ "Russ Chandler Stadium - Facilities description". Georgia Tech Athletics. June 21, 2001. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
External links
edit
- The Rusty C, a fansite maintained by the fans in Section 10 of Russ Chandler Stadium.
- Beesball.com, a very popular fansite with extensive information on the Georgia Tech Baseball program.
- Official Georgia Tech Baseball website
- Georgia Tech Campus Parking Map