Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark 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 ...

on the campus of

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It hosts the

Grand Canyon Antelopes The Grand Canyon Antelopes (more commonly referred to as the Lopes) are the 21 athletic teams representing Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division I level in the ...

of the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

. The field is named for Dr. Dave Brazell, considered to be "the founder and developer of Canyon baseball." As the coach of the Lopes for 28 seasons, Brazell put together an impressive record of 728-385-8. The playing surface is composed complete of natural grass, save for infield foul territory where

AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has m ...

was installed in 2018. An inning-by-inning digital scoreboard is visible in left-center field.

History

Field established

In 1962, the program's facility was relocated from a more centralized location on the campus to the west end with the left field fence running parallel to 35th Avenue. The layout of the field remains largely unchanged from its 1962 debut. In 1970, the field was named Brazell Field.

Brazell Stadium era

With the addition of bleacher seating, the facility transitioned from Brazell Field to Brazell Stadium in 1987. Gold-colored bleachers wrapped around the home plate area, extending to each team's dugouts on either side. The stadium featured lights, making night games possible. In the off-season prior to the 2014 baseball season, large shades were added over the stands. The official capacity for the venue was 1,500. Improvements over the years at Brazell Stadium included replacement of wood bleachers, backstop improvements and the awning. On February 21, 2014, the

Grand Canyon Antelopes baseball The Grand Canyon Antelopes baseball team represents Grand Canyon University, which is located in Phoenix, Arizona. The Antelopes, also known as the Lopes, are an NCAA Division I college baseball program competing in the Western Athletic Conference ...

team hosted the inaugural game in which the Lopes were a full member of the WAC Conference. The Lopes defeated the

Hofstra Pride The Hofstra Pride (formerly the Hofstra Flying Dutchmen) are composed of 17 teams representing Hofstra University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women’s basketball, cross-country running, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and tra ...

in convincing 8–1 fashion behind a complete game from starting pitcher Jorge Perez. After spending four seasons in Division I for baseball only from 1995–1998, the entire athletic department made the jump to

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

for the fall of 2013. Since the return to Division I for the baseball program, the Lopes boasted a 35–13 record at Brazell Stadium through the 2015 season.

Birth of GCU Ballpark

In August 2016, the university announced its 10-in-2 initiative to build 10 new athletic facilities in two years to coincide with the final stages of GCU's full Division I membership. Among these 10 facilities was a new baseball stadium, later named GCU Ballpark. The new name of the facility was announced as Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark on January 22, 2018. Demolition of the former stadium including the press box, grandstands, and dugouts began on May 22, 2017, following the conclusion of the home portion of the team's schedule. The new facility delivers several new amenities for the program: chairback seating for over 3,000 fans, a multi-room press box, an upgraded sound system, an entertainment patio in right field, berm seating for fans in right field, an on-site concession stand and a team store.

Into the 2020s

The ballpark got a new video board in right-center field in May 2022. Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark hosted its first national television broadcast on February 18, 2023, when

MLB Network The MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Com ...

televised Grand Canyon's home opener against No. 2

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

as part of the MLB Desert Invitational. Stephen Nelson,

Rubén Amaro Jr. Rubén Amaro Jr. (born February 12, 1965) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and General manager (baseball), General manager (GM). Amaro played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to . He was named the GM of the Philadelphia ...

and

Jim Callis Jim Callis (born October 15, 1967) is a baseball writer who currently covers the MLB Draft and prospects for MLB Pipeline and MLB.com. He was formerly the executive editor of the Durham, North Carolina-based magazine '' Baseball America'' and i ...

were on the call. The Lopes defeated the Volunteers 4-3 in front of 4,457 fans.

References

External links

GCU Baseball Website
{{Grand Canyon University Athletic Venues Grand Canyon Antelopes baseball College baseball venues in the United States Baseball venues in Arizona 1962 establishments in Arizona Sports venues completed in 1962