Kokernot Field is a

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 tea ...

stadium in

Alpine, Texas Alpine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,905 at the 2010 census. The town has an elevation of , and the surrounding mountain peaks are over above sea level. The university, hospi ...

, USA. The field has been called "The Best Little Ballpark in Texas (or Anywhere Else)" by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' and the "Yankee Stadium of Texas" by ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

'' magazine. An estimated 6,000 attended a 1951 exhibition featuring

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

versus the

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. Future major leaguers Norm Cash and

Gaylord Perry Gaylord Jackson Perry (September 15, 1938 – December 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for eight different teams from 1962 to 1983. During a 22-year baseb ...

also played on Kokernot Field. The stadium was constructed in 1947 by Big Bend rancher Herbert Lee Kokernot Jr. for his

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a consid ...

baseball team. Red clay for the infield was hauled in by boxcar from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Native stone quarried from the Kokernot Ranch was used to construct the outfield wall and grandstand. The Kokernot Ranch "o6" brand was incorporated into numerous decorations throughout the stadium along with intricate ironwork of baseballs complete with painted threads. The stadium was built to seat 1,400 people. Lighting was installed in 1958. Ownership of the field was turned over to the

Alpine Independent School District The Alpine Independent School District is a school district based in Alpine, Texas, United States. The district operates one high school, Alpine High School. History Prior to 1996 Alpine High School served as the high school for students from ...

in 1968 after

Sul Ross State University Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuses, branded as Rio Grande Colleg ...

discontinued their baseball program and semi-professional play ceased in Alpine after the 1961 season. Sul Ross' baseball program was revived in 1983, and a new independent league professional team was formed in 2009, so the field is currently home to the Sul Ross State University Lobos and the

Alpine Cowboys The Alpine Cowboys are a professional baseball team based in Alpine, Texas, in the Big Bend region of West Texas. The Cowboys are a franchise of the Pecos League, which is not affiliated with a Major League Baseball organization. They play their ...

of the

Pecos League Pecos may refer to: Places * Pecos River, rises near Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States * Pecos, Texas, a city in Reeves County, Texas, United States * Pecos County, Texas, named for the Pecos River ** Pecos Spring, a spring * Pecos, New Mexico, ...

through lease arrangements. The

Big Bend Cowboys Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

doubleheader on 17 May 2009 was the first professional baseball played at Kokernot Field in 48 years. File:Kokernot Field Rock Wall 2010.jpg , The Kokernot Ranch "06" brand on a rock wall at Kokernot Field. File: Kokernot_ironworks_2008.jpg , Example of the intricate iron work at Kokernot Field.

References

External links

* *
Photos of West Texas
{{NAIA World Series Minor league baseball venues Buildings and structures in Brewster County, Texas Baseball venues in Texas

See also

References

External links