Dwyer Stadium is a 2,600 capacity
stadium in
Batavia, New York, situated in
Genesee County. It opened in 1996 replacing the original stadium that was built in 1937, while the playing field is the original. The stadium is currently home to the
Batavia Muckdogs
The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of ...
of the
Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) is a 16-team Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league founded in 2010. As of 2022, all teams are within New York (state). All players in the league must have National Colle ...
, a
collegiate summer baseball league; the
Genesee Community College Cougars of the
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
(NJCAA); and high school teams including the Notre Dame of Batavia Fighting Irish and Batavia Blue Devils.
History
The grandstand and surrounding structure of Dwyer Stadium may be new but the field and area hold over 80 years of professional baseball history. Originally built in 1939 the stadium underwent three names and stood until 1995 when being replaced by the new stadium, keeping the previous name.
State Street Park (1939–WWII)
State Street Park was built in 1939 and employed 17 local workers to construct. During the first season of play the stadium went unfinished and a snow fence had to be placed for each game to act as the outfield wall while chairs had to be borrowed from a local mortuary for seating. The works project continued through the first season but did not deter fans as 3,000, still a record for Batavia, attended the first game of professional baseball at State Street Park.
MacArthur Stadium (WWII–1972)
During World War II the name was changed to MacArthur Stadium after General Douglas MacArthur in an act of patriotism.
Dwyer Stadium (Original: 1973–1995)
Before the 1973 season the stadium found its final name, Dwyer Stadium, after Edward D. Dwyer, a long time team president that was instrumental in keeping the team in Batavia. The stadium was a wooden and covered grandstand that was famous in old time ballparks.
Dwyer Stadium (1996–present)
In 1995, it was officially announced Batavia would be getting a new $3 million stadium on the same location; the field would remain intact while the grandstand and seating would be torn down and replaced. Auburn and Batavia each got a stadium that was almost carbon copies of one another. The old Dwyer Stadium still has its place in the new stadium as the original Wall of Fame is still present behind the first base bleachers.
Usage
Dwyer Stadium is primarily used for
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
, though has also been home to area youth football as well throughout its history. Dwyer is the home field of the
Batavia Muckdogs
The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of ...
, a
collegiate summer baseball team of the
Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) is a 16-team Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league founded in 2010. As of 2022, all teams are within New York (state). All players in the league must have National Colle ...
(PGCBL).
The Muckdogs were previously members of
Minor League Baseball's
New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
, which was affiliated with
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
teams. After the cancelled 2020 minor league season, Major League Baseball took direct control of Minor League Baseball and discontinued short-season play. The Muckdogs were not among the teams invited to remain in affiliated baseball. The city received offers to join collegiate summer baseball and semi-professional leagues.
In January 2021, the team was purchased by CAN-USA Sports and joined PGCBL for the 2021 season.
[
The facility also hosts college games during the spring and fall for the Genesee Community College Cougars as well as local high school games in the spring.
]
Empire State Yankees
During the 2012 season the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees, were scheduled to play seven games at Dwyer Stadium as the Yankees home stadium PNC Field
PNC Field is a 10,000-seat minor league baseball stadium that is located in Moosic, Pennsylvania in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area that was built in 1989 and rebuilt in 2013. The stadium is home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRi ...
in Moosic
Moosic ( ) is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, south of downtown Scranton and northeast of downtown Wilkes-Barre, on the Lackawanna River.
Moosic is in a former coal-mining region. A few older industries existed at one time, includ ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
underwent renovations. Before the scheduled games the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
made improvements to the infield and pitchers mound as well as the clubhouse. Due to weather conditions only four Triple-A games were played at Dwyer.
References
{{reflist
External links
Batavia Muckdogs
Minor league baseball venues
Sports venues in Genesee County, New York
Baseball venues in New York (state)
1996 establishments in New York (state)
Sports venues completed in 1996
College baseball venues in the United States
High school baseball venues in the United States