Wild Things Park is a 3,200-seat multi-purpose baseball stadium in
North Franklin Township, a suburb of
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...
. It hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 29, 2002, as the primary tenants of the facility, the
Washington Wild Things
The Washington Wild Things are a professional baseball team based in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Wild Things are a member of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which, as of 2020, is an official Partner Le ...
, lost to the
Canton Coyotes
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
, 3-0. The ballpark also hosts the
California Vulcans
The California Vulcans are the intercollegiate sports teams and players that represent Pennsylvania Western University California (PennWest California; known before July 2022 as California University of Pennsylvania), located in California, Pen ...
baseball team, representing
Pennsylvania Western University California. It was the home of the
Pennsylvania Rebellion of the
National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup.
The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...
, a women's professional softball league, until 2017 when the team folded. It also hosts
Trinity High School's baseball team and the
WPIAL
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
The Western Pennsylvania Inte ...
Baseball Championships. It was briefly the home of the
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...
soccer club (who now play at
Highmark Stadium) during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Wild Things Park is located near
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 in ...
and is notable for including a hot tub in the viewing stands. ProGrass Synthetic Turf was installed in the fall of 2010.
The stadium was known as Falconi Field until April 12, 2007, when
Consol Energy
Consol Energy Inc. is an American energy company with interests in coal headquartered in the suburb of Cecil Township, in the Southpointe complex, just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2017, Consol formed two separate entities: CNX Resour ...
and Washington County Family Entertainment entered a naming rights partnership to rename the complex CONSOL Energy Park.
Consol Energy has let the naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
deal expire as of January 2017.
History
In 2001, a 16-member "baseball exploratory committee" led by Leo Trich
Leo Joseph Trich, Jr. (born July 23, 1951) is a former Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Biography
Trich is a 1969 graduate of List of high schools in Pennsylvania, Washington High ...
, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
, helped form a nonprofit group named Ballpark Scholarships Inc. to build a $5.8 million ($ million today) stadium in Washington County. $2 million of the cost of the stadium came in form of taxpayer assistance, while the rest was funded privately. A large amount of the private financing needed to build the stadium came from a local businessman, Angelo F. Falconi. The Wild Things made their debut on May 25, 2002 at Falconi Field for an exhibition game against the Johnstown Johnnies Johnstown may refer to:
Places Australia
* Johnstown, Queensland, a locality split between the Southern Burnett Region and the Gympie Region, Queensland
Canada
* Johnstown, Nova Scotia
* Johnstown, Ontario, United Counties of Leeds and Grenvi ...
.
Trich originally hoped to bring an affiliated Class A minor league team to Washington, however he was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, a local group purchased the Canton Crocodiles of the independent Frontier League and moved them to the stadium to begin play as the Washington Wild Things in 2002. The team lost its inaugural game 3-0 to the Canton Coyotes.
The Wild Things rebounded from losing their first game to finish 56-28 and reached the Frontier League championship, which they lost to the Richmond Roosters
The Richmond Roosters were a professional baseball team based in Richmond, Indiana from 1995-2005. The Roosters played in the independent Frontier League, which at that time had no affiliation with Major League Baseball.
The Roosters began play ...
three games to one. Playoffs included, the Wild Things drew 132,901 to Falconi Field in 2002. The year before the franchise had their games attended by just 29,703 fans in Canton, which is five times the population of Washington.
On April 12, 2007, the stadium's name was changed to CONSOL Energy Park after the Washington County-based coal mining company paid an undisclosed sum as part of a 10-year naming rights agreement. A plant garden just inside of the main entrance in right field contains a sign thanking Falconi for his contribution in the stadium's construction.
In 2012, WashCo Ballpark Holdings purchased the park from the non-profit Ballpark Scholarships Inc. in a deal that guaranteed that baseball will remain in the park for a decade. Leo Trich
Leo Joseph Trich, Jr. (born July 23, 1951) is a former Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Biography
Trich is a 1969 graduate of List of high schools in Pennsylvania, Washington High ...
played a role in selling the park. At that time, Dermontti Dawson
Dermontti Farra Dawson (born June 17, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a center and long snapper in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football with the Kentucky Wildcats. He was drafted by t ...
joined the ownership team. The Washington BlueSox played at the stadium from 2006 to 2008 until the team was moved to Butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
. They also played at Ross Memorial Park and Alexandre Stadium
Ross Memorial Park and Alexandre Stadium is a combined multi-purpose outdoor athletic facility in North Franklin Township, Pennsylvania owned by Washington & Jefferson College. The playing surface is made of FieldTurf, like the college's footbal ...
during their tenure in Washington.
Concerts
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
played at Falconi Field in 2006. He returned to the park in 2009, this time with John Mellencamp
John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...
and Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
.
On August 25, 2012, the Povertyneck Hillbillies played a reunion concert at the park. The group, based in western Pennsylvania, had minor national fame when they signed to the now defunct Rust Records.
See also
*Ross Memorial Park and Alexandre Stadium
Ross Memorial Park and Alexandre Stadium is a combined multi-purpose outdoor athletic facility in North Franklin Township, Pennsylvania owned by Washington & Jefferson College. The playing surface is made of FieldTurf, like the college's footbal ...
References
External links
Photographs of CONSOL Energy Park, home of the Washington Wild Things - ''Rochester Area Ballparks''
Washington County Family Entertainment and CONSOL Energy Form Complex Naming Rights Partnership
{{Washington, Pennsylvania
Baseball venues in Pennsylvania
Soccer venues in Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Frontier League ballparks
California Vulcans
Sports venues completed in 2002