Truist Stadium is a
ballpark
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...
in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...
that replaced
Ernie Shore Field
David F. Couch Ballpark is a collegiate and former minor-league baseball park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The full-time home of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team, starting in 2009, it was also previously home of the Winston-Salem ...
. It 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 ...
, and is the home field of the
Winston-Salem Dash
The Winston-Salem Dash are a Minor League Baseball team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are a High-A team in the South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. The Dash began playing their home games a ...
minor league baseball team and primary home field of the Carolina Disco Turkeys summer collegiate baseball team.
The ballpark is bounded by Peters Creek Parkway (northwest/west); 1st Street (north); and Green Street (northeast, left-center field).
Salem Parkway, which carries
US 158 and
US 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...
, is toward the south/southeast.
History
It was originally planned to open for the 2009 season. Various delays pushed it to mid-2009, and then to the 2010 season. Oversights such as the budget, by city planners, were reported to be the cause.
The first home game was played on April 13, 2010, against the
Potomac Nationals
The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to F ...
, resulting in a 5–4 loss in 12 innings, before 7,111 spectators. At the end of its first season, the stadium was named Ballpark of the Year by Baseballparks.com.
Naming rights
On February 24, 2010, the Dash announced that Winston-Salem based bank
BB&T
BB&T Corporation (previously known as the Branch Banking and Trust Company) was one of the largest banking and financial services firms in the United States, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 2019, BB&T announced its intentions to merge ...
had signed a 15-year naming rights deal for the new ballpark. BB&T also owned the naming rights for fellow
Winston-Salem Entertainment-Sports Complex venue
BB&T Field
Truist Field at Wake Forest is a football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The stadium is just west of Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park, home of the Wake Forest baseball team. It is primarily used for American football, and ...
, home to the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team.
This was the second ballpark in the Carolina League sponsored by BB&T. The first was
BB&T Coastal Field (now TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark), home to the
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...
. BB&T also sponsored BB&T Ballpark (now
Truist Field) for the
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...
which opened in the spring of 2014.
The ballpark was renamed Truist Stadium in June 2020 due to the 2019 merger of BB&T and
SunTrust Banks
SunTrust Banks, Inc. was an American bank holding company with SunTrust Bank as its largest subsidiary and assets of US$199 billion as of March 31, 2018. The bank's most direct corporate parent was established in 1891 in Atlanta, where it was h ...
to form
Truist.
References
External links
BB&T Ballpark A to Z Fan GuideGroundbreaking announcement October 30, 20072010 announcementNaming rights announcement
{{Triad sports venues
Sports venues in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Baseball venues in North Carolina
2010 establishments in North Carolina
Sports venues completed in 2010
South Atlantic League ballparks