Founders Park

Founders Park, formerly known as Carolina Stadium, is a stadium in Columbia, South Carolina on the banks of the Congaree River. The facility was built for a cost of $35.6 million and is used for college baseball as home to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team.

Founders Park
"The Rock by the River"
Former namesCarolina Stadium (2009–2015)
LocationColumbia, South Carolina
Capacity8,242 (total)
6,600 (seated)
Record attendance8,242
Surface419 Bermuda turf grass
Construction
Broke ground2007
OpenedFebruary 21, 2009
Construction cost$35.6 million
ArchitectPopulous
General contractorContract Construction
Tenants
South Carolina Gamecocks Baseball Team

Facility overview
Gamecocks playing Duquesne on February 21, 2009

The dimensions of the field are 325 feet (99 m) down the right and left-field lines and 390 feet (120 m) to dead center, matching those of Sarge Frye Field, the previous home stadium of the Gamecocks. The baseball training facilities at the stadium include four indoor batting tunnels, a 3,900-square-foot (360 m2) weight room, team clubhouse, coaches' offices, and a sports medicine room. Among the numerous amenities for fans, there are five luxury suites and two club-level seating areas with lounges, a Gamecock store just inside the main entrance in the outfield plaza, along with a picnic terrace that accommodates around 120 people down the left-field line. The scoreboard towers 86 feet (26 m) over the left field wall and features a 28-by-16-foot video screen.

The main stadium entrance to Founders Park is located at the northeast corner of the grounds directly behind the center-field wall. Following the 2010 national championship, USC had a mural applied to the backside of its center-field wall (to be viewed as visitors and fans enter onto stadium grounds), celebrating the 2010 CWS Title. In addition, a showcase was built at the base of the wall for the display of the 2010 CWS National Championship Trophy. The mural and trophy case have since been updated to honor both the 2010 and 2011 CWS Championship Teams.

In 2013, the website Stadium Journey ranked Carolina Stadium as the second best Division I baseball venue, and received an average rating 4.6 of 5 stars in 7 categories. [1]

In 2014, the website Stadium Journey ranked Carolina Stadium as the best Division I baseball venue, and received an average rating 4.7 of 5 stars in 7 categories. [2]

In 2015, the facility name was officially changed from Carolina Stadium to Founders Park, becoming only the third college baseball stadium in the United States to earn a corporate sponsorship. [3][4]

History

The stadium was opened on February 21, 2009, with a 13–0 South Carolina victory over Duquesne with 8,153 fans in attendance, a record crowd for a Gamecock home game. The ceremonial first pitches were thrown by USC President Dr. Harris Pastides and former Gamecock baseball coaches Bobby Richardson and June Raines. Darius Rucker, former lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish and USC alumnus, sang the National Anthem.

On May 21, 2010, a stadium record crowd of 8,242 attended a game against Florida; the record has been equaled many times since. The highest attendance for a three-game weekend series (24,726) was set from April 15–17, 2011, as the Gamecocks hosted #1 Vanderbilt and won the series two games to one.

Tournaments Hosted

NCAA Regional Tournaments : 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016

NCAA Super Regional Tournaments : 2011, 2012, 2016

Key dates
Event Date Opponent Result
Broke ground2007--
First gameFebruary 21, 2009DuquesneW 13–0
First sell-outMay 21, 2010FloridaL 2–5
100th winMarch 3, 2012ClemsonW 9–6
1,000,000th fanMay 9, 2012FurmanW 7–0

South Carolina Gamecocks' Record in Founders Park (2009–Present)
Year Games Overall W–L Overall Win Pct NCAA W–L NCAA Win Pct Total Attendance (SEC/Nat Rank) Avg Attendance (SEC/Nat Rank)
20093526–9.7420–0-231,360 (4th/4th)6,805 (4th/4th)
20103630–6.8333–01.000236,529 (3rd/4th)6,758 (4th/4th)
20114036–4.9005–01.000297,279 (2nd/2nd)7,431 (4th/4th)
20123932–7.8215–01.000295,389 (2nd/2nd)7,574 (3rd/3rd)
20133731–6.8383–01.000260,605 (3rd/3rd)7,445 (5th/5th)
20144134–7.8292–2.500305,564 (2nd/2nd)7,453 (3rd/3rd)
20153625–11.6940-0.000250,057 (3rd/3rd)7,354 (4th/4th)
20164134–7.8294-3.571293,677 (3rd/3rd)7,162 (5th/5th)
20173623–13.6390-0.000258,407 (4th/4th)7,177 (5th/5th)
20183424–10.7060-0.000229,434 (4th/4th)6,748 (4th/4th)
Totals*375295–80.78722–5.8152,658,3017,089
  • Totals only reflect completed seasons

See also

References
  1. http://www.stadiumjourney.com/news/06-18-2013/382/2013-ncaa-baseball-ballpark-rankings/
  2. http://www.stadiumjourney.com/news/07-13-2014/717/ncaa-ballpark-experience-rankings-2014
  3. http://www.wltx.com/story/sports/ncaa/usc-gamecocks/2015/10/22/usc-baseball-stadium-called-founders-park/74392686/
  4. http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/102215aab.html

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