Bailey–Brayton Field is a
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in the
northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, on the campus of
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
in
Pullman, Washington
Pullman () is the largest city in Whitman County, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. The population was 29,799 at the 2010 census, and estimated to be 34,506 in 2019. Originally founded as Thr ...
. It is the home field of the
Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are the athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic program co ...
of the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
, and is located on the east side of the WSU campus, just southeast of
Beasley Coliseum
Beasley Coliseum is a general-purpose indoor arena in the northwest United States, located on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. The home venue for both the Cougars men's and women's basketball teams of the Pac-1 ...
. The approximate
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
of the north-aligned diamond is above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
and its
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
It opened for baseball in 1980 on April 12 as new
Buck Bailey
Arthur Buckner Bailey (June 2, 1896 – October 28, 1964) was a college baseball head coach; he led the Washington State Cougars for 32 seasons, from 1927 through 1961, except for three seasons during World War II, and had an overall record of
...
in honor of WSU's head coach for 32 seasons except during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
); the name was carried over from the previous venue, named for him in 1950.
Born and raised in
central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, Bailey retired after the 1961 season at age 65. Three years later, he and his wife Frances were killed in an automobile collision in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
in
Lights were added in 1984,
as it became the first NCAA ballpark in the Northwest to install The field was renamed in January 2000 to also honor longtime Cougar baseball head coach
Chuck "Bobo" Brayton, who led the Cougars from 1962 to 1994, and continuously improved
In the fall of 2003,
the natural grass surface was removed and replaced with
FieldTurf, and WSU became the first
Division I program to install FieldTurf in its home The only portion of the field that remained dirt was the pitcher's mound and home plate The basepaths and the "skin" portion of the infield are FieldTurf, colored
reddish brown, while the outfield is green The home plate area was converted to FieldTurf in 2007, leaving only the pitcher's mound with dirt.
[ In fall 2013, the dirt pitcher's mound was replaced with a FieldTurf mound and the infield FieldTurf
The previous WSU baseball field, also named for Bailey,]Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. It is the home field of the Washington State Cougars of the Pac-12 Conference.
Its full name is ...
was renovated following the 1978 football season, its running track was removed to add seating nearer the lowered playing field.Sick's Stadium
Sick's Stadium, also known as Sick's Seattle Stadium and later as Sicks' Stadium, was a baseball park in the northwest United States in Seattle, Washington. It was located in Rainier Valley, on the NE corner of S. McClellan Street and Rainier Av ...
in Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
was demolished in 1979, its bleachers, fencing, and foul poles were moved to Pullman to construct the new The bleachers didn't fit and were later sold.[ Most of the other items from Sick's were bought for $60,000 in 1978 by the owner of the new ]Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...
for use at Nat Bailey Stadium
Nat Bailey Stadium, also known as The Nat, is a baseball stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is home to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League High-A.
Stadium history
The stadium is located in Hillcrest Park immediately north-eas ...
in Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
See also
* List of NCAA Division I baseball venues
This is a list of stadiums that currently serve as the home venue for National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I college baseball teams. Conference affiliations reflect those in the coming 2023 NCAA baseball season. ...
References
External links
*
''Spokesman-Review''
- photo - Buck Bailey - April 1951
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey-Brayton Field
College baseball venues in the United States
Sports venues in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures in Pullman, Washington
Washington State Cougars baseball