L. P. Frans Stadium

L.P. Frans Stadium is a stadium in Hickory, North Carolina. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Hickory Crawdads Class A Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League. It was built in 1993 and has a fixed seating capacity of roughly 4,000.

L.P. Frans Stadium
Location2500 Clement Boulevard
Hickory, North Carolina, US
Coordinates35°44′57″N 81°22′43″W
OwnerHickory Baseball, Inc.
OperatorHickory Baseball, Inc.
Capacity5,062 (4,000 fixed seats)
Record attendance5,283
Field sizeLeft Field: 330 feet (100 m)
Center Field: 401 feet (122 m)
Right Field: 330 feet (100 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 21, 1992[1]
OpenedApril 16, 1993[2]
Construction cost$4.5 million
($7.96 million in 2019 dollars[3])
ArchitectLescher and Mahoney
CBSA Architects, Inc.
Services engineerBrittain Engineering, Inc.[4]
General contractorWayne Brothers, Inc.[5]
Tenants
Hickory Crawdads (SAL) 1993–present
Catawba Valley Stars (GSL/CVCL) 2009–present

Location

L.P. Frans Stadium is located three miles (4.8 km) from I-40 in Winkler Park. It was built on land donated by Elmer Winkler in 1993 and named after the local Pepsi-Cola bottler who partially funded the stadium's construction.[6]

Improvements

Improvements made to the stadium after the 2013 season brought a brand new VIP section, a picnic pavilion, and three outdoor party patios. A completely renovated Crawdads Cafe, suites, and concourse were also a part of the improvements.[7] Following the 2017 season, another round of renovations was announced. The renovations included a new HD video board, a new playing surface, renovated dugouts, replacing the outfield walls, and removing the support poles holding up the protective netting to improve sightlines.

References

  1. "Sox Shift to Hickory". Chicago Sun-Times. September 22, 1992. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  2. "Want to See Crawdads' Opener? Cross Your Claws and Get in Line". The Charlotte Observer. April 16, 1993. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. "Clients & Projects". Brittain Engineering, Inc. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  5. "Kudos!" (PDF). Wayne Brothers, Inc. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  6. Knight, Graham (July 21, 2002). "L.P. Frans Stadium". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  7. Tinkelenberg, John (December 2, 2013). "Home-Field Advantage". Hickory Daily Record. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
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