V.A. Memorial Stadium
V.A. Memorial Stadium is a baseball stadium located on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Hospital campus three miles north of Chillicothe, Ohio. It is officially designated as building 244. The stadium is the home field of the Chillicothe Paints, a collegiate wooden bat baseball team in the Prospect League. Though primarily used for baseball, V.A. Memorial Stadium has been used for softball, soccer, and other non-sporting events.
Location | Chillicothe, Ohio |
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Coordinates | 39.38924°N 83.01765°W |
Capacity | 3000+ |
Field size | Left Field:327 ft(100m) Left Center:368 ft(112m) Center Field:395 ft(120m) Right Center:345 ft(105m) Right Field:325 ft(99m) |
Surface | Field Turf |
Construction | |
Built | 1954 |
Opened | 1955 |
Renovated | 1993, 2006, 2011 |
Tenants | |
Chillicothe Paints (Prospect League) |
The stadium holds over 3000 people. The main grandstand is covered and constructed of concrete and brick. The seating in the grandstand consists of 12 rows of bench seats with the lower 6 rows having backrests. Additional seating includes metal bleachers along the first and third base lines and a party deck extending from just beyond third base to the left field corner. Until 2006 the playing surface consisted of natural grass and dirt. In 2006, Field Turf was installed.
Stadium history
The stadium was constructed in 1954 with funding from the Blue Star Mothers of America. It was originally used as a field for the patients of the VA Hospital to play softball.
In 1993, the Frontier League began operations with the Chillicothe Paints playing in VA Memorial Stadium as one of the original 8 teams. The Paints organization with cooperation from the Department of Veterans Affairs renovated the stadium for the Paints opening game in June 1993.
In 2006 the Ross County Commissioners and Ross County Convention Facility Authority worked together to further renovate the stadium adding the left field party deck and Field Turf.[1]
Stadium events
- Chillicothe Paints Prospect League Baseball.
- Mid-American Conference baseball tournament in 2008 to 2011. (The stadium will no longer host the tournament.)[2]
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Baseball Tournament 2009-2011.[3]
- OHSAA Division III District and Regional Baseball Tournament.
- North Coast Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Tournament
- OHSAA Regular Season Baseball and Soccer games.
- Scenes from the 1999 movie A Little Inside were filmed in the stadium.[4]
References
- "Chillicothe Paints Official Website:Stadium Information". Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- "MAC Baseball Leaving V.A. memorial Stadium". www.mac-sports.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- "GLIAC Baseball tournament website". Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- "Internet Movie Database". Retrieved 2009-06-07.
External links
Events and tenants | ||
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Preceded by first venue Don McBride Stadium |
Host of the FL All-Star Game V.A. Memorial Stadium 1993 1997 |
Succeeded by Don Edwards Park Don McBride Stadium |