best college baseball facilities

3 beautiful D2 places in Kansas:

Emporia State, Ft Hays State, and Washburn U. they all have synthetic rugs on the infield which is huge for getting games in here in the Spring.

Having traveled all over the SE the last 3-4 years, fortunately with a couple really good organizations, I was amazed weekly at the facilities at the Mid-major and D2 schools. Heck, even D3 and JUCO’s are dotted with impressive yards. You’re exactly right about using it as a recruiting tool. At 16, the boys talked exclusively about UGA, FSU, UF type facilities. At the end of this year, the same players were talking about lesser known school facilities as being some of their favorite places to play.

Here’s a couple links to a few that really impressed me. I played at a couple of these years ago….and man-o-man have they changed over the years.

http://goargos.com/page.asp?articleID=2590

http://www.unfospreys.com/spor...px?tab=harmonstadium

http://www.gseagles.com/sports...723134103.aspx?id=27

http://nwfraiders.com/athletic..._field_gallery/index

http://www.usajaguars.com/spor....aspx?tab=facilities

I travel all over for business, and always check out the sporting facilities (especially baseball stadiums) when I get a chance to get on the local campuses. 

Some of the top ones that stand out, in no particular order:

1. LSU (pretty awesome)

2. Arizona (renovated spring training facility off campus)

3. Louisville (just saw this one two days ago, impressive campus).

4. Cal State Fullerton

5. Ohio State (OSU colored turf sponsored by Nic Swisher, pretty cool).

6. Notre Dame (probably one of the prettiest campuses overall, I have seen)

7. Michigan (nice)

8. Omaha Home of CWS (Creighton gets to play their home games here). 

9. Georgia (just okay)

10. Kent State (not great, but putting some money into baseball, so getting better).

11. Pitt

12. North Carolina (one of my favorites)

13. Duke (not great, but not bad)

14. Iowa (just okay)

15. Virginia (really nice!)

16. Va Tech (nice)

17. Hawaii (disappointed with the whole campus.  Baseball stadium not too bad)

Probably a few more that I have forgotten.  This is one of my favorite things to do, while traveling on business.  Will be checking out Penn State's campus next week.  I think they are either building, or already upgraded their baseball stadium/facilities. 

Slippery Rock Staduim is impressive, field is ok (or was 2 years ago)

Wright State University is impressive stadium and field

Mississippi State and Texas A&M  (and MSU is going to get significantly even better soon)

But actually any stadium that your son gets to play in at college is the "best college facility"!!!

Here in NoCal UC Davis is pretty  nice. Cal is awesome.  Stanford is fantastic.  Cal Poly has a great new facility.  Pacific is really wonderful too... but it's in Stockton.

Fresno State, UCI, San Diego State... For settings, Point Loma, Pepperdine.  For small schools, Cal Lutheran.

Liberty...amazing.  Son's HS team played/won VA 3A State title there this Spring.  I was impressed then and later saw (recently) it was ranked like #5 in US.  Lots of $$ being put in work down there.

Actually U of Cincinnati is not far from me either but have not seen it since the remodeled, i look forward to seeing sometime in the near future. I,also, understand Miami of Ohio had a field facelift that is very nice.  

I do agree with you that it is very telling not of the newness sometimes but how it is maintained. It that vein U of Dayton is very nice. Grass field that is always in excellent shape and facilities are very nice as well.

As far as the clubhouses, hitting facilitie, I can't speak of any. Other than my HS one which is awesome. 2 story, doulbe hitting/pitching cages, lots of room to hit off tee on outside of cages, lockers built by the woodshop that rival anything I have seen fo a college

http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm?PID=29073

I can agree with Bucs fan, Liberty's new stadium and facilities are as nice as anywhere.  Pro level locker room, dedicated Weight room, large players lounge, 4 indoor cages in one room where nets can be raised, large training area.  Really the best of everything plus an all weather field.  I believe their video scoreboard is the largest in college baseball.

May want to check it out.  Their record wasn't all that bad either this past year.  41-18 (but only 23-3 in conference!) and Big South champs.

My son got to play at Vandy last summer.  Very nice.  In this area....Ohio State, Wright St, Michigan and Miami of Ohio.  My son is going to go to BG.  They are going to spend big $$$ on their facility over the next year.  Former player/alumus made a huge donation to the program recently.

For a small school the field University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima, OH is as nice as they come....just put in a turf IF....the school draws kids from all over the Eastern half of the US and also Cuba, PR and the Dominican.  Carlos Baerga is an asst coach...his son is on the team

Absolutely agree.  Also, Liberty may not be for everyone.  In the middle of nowhere, was founded by Jerry Falwell and is very much a Christian-based academic environment.  Pretty serious about their baseball (and other sports, though, too).

My son is attending Winston-Salem State University.  The school doesn't have their own baseball stadium so they have a contract to play at BB&T Park in downtown Winston-Salem.  As baseball fields go, it's an awesome stadium.

Some of my favorites in CA.

UC Irvine

Pepperdine

USC

Stanford

University of Pacific

Fresno State

Santa Clara 

PO Jr got to play at TD Ameritrade last year and said it was incredible, except freezing cold part. Said that he could not imagine how cool it would be on a warm summer evening with the stands packed. That's something to motivate you.

Also played in the new home of the Giants AAA team Raley Field in Sacramento. Sac State plays some of there home games there.

I know my favorite - the friendly confines of Borleske Stadium in beautiful Walla Walla Washington.  The big cedar trees beyond the outfield fence, the snowy Blue Mountains, the tower of the Memorial Building beyond right field, the stadium seats, the sometimes extremely loud and obnoxious student cheering section, the small group of professors that sit and berate the 1st base ump on sunny weekend afternoons, the wind chill....paradise.

Raley Field is very nice. Last time we went my kids bought us front row, field level seats for father's day. With Giants affiliation, I'm afraid those seats will be expensive and hard to come by. Oh well, it'll be fun.

My wife is a UCLA grad. I used to bike to Jackie Robinson Stadium often.  Not a great yard at that time, but plenty good enough at the time, and I saw a lot of MLB players on the way up.  Lots of ex-jocks in the stands too.

I'm married to a USC grad, so I've spent a lot of time at the coliseum and Dedeaux field. The only problem I have with Jackie Robinson field is that it is off campus. My son has a buddy that is a Soph on the team and loves the program. What difference in programs, Trojans rebuilding and Bruins reloading. 

Penn State shares a beautiful 5.400 capacity stadium including luxury boxes with the State College Spikes of the NY/Penn League.

Everything you see beyond SC will be a runner-up IMHO.  You've seen the best and everything after will be judged against it.   It would be like going on your first date with Jennifer Lawrence.  My oldest son visited South Carolina with Asst Coach Holbrook (at the time).  Their facilities are the better than many minor league teams.  JMO

jolietboy,

My son was incredibly impressed and flattered to be invited for a visit to SC.  I think they had a slot open up (mid August before his senior year) as a recruit became ineligible.  They had been following two other players from son's travel team, and my son had pitched well in front of them.  Every inch of the coaches (two) prospect whiteboards were filled with names and graduation years going into their high school freshmen year.   Academic money was suggested as a potential option, but my son was more interested in a deep and wide engineering program in addition to baseball.  No offer was made, so there wasn't too much think about.  It would have been extremely difficult for my son to find the field based on their talent...he knew this and decided on a different path soon after that meeting.   For him it was the right decision.

Good luck.

PS...I've visited hundreds of colleges on business (mostly Midwest and east coast).  Nothing compares to SC in my experiences.

Arkansas Razorback's Baum Stadium is outstanding. Hard to beat an Arkansas/LSU baseball game. My son chose Duke over the Hawgs for education reasons but I continue to be a Razorback fan. WPS! 

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/...rge-cole-field-s1619

Son and I had a unique opportunity to see some fields this Summer via three separate getaways (2 club baseball tournament trips and one family get away). We decided to drive each of these trips, specifically so we could stop by interesting colleges along and near each route.  We ended up seeing 22 target schools in all... perennial SEC baseball powers to the smallest of high academic D3s and lots in between. Probably the single biggest standout was Georgia Tech... Unbelievable field nestled directly on campus and looking out on downtown Atlanta. Serious wow factor... As good as it gets. Vandy's unique stadium is very cool and University of Tennessee's was terrific too.

Someone mentioned Notre Dame above.  I agree it's a great campus, but the yard and facility are just about average I would say.  Nothing at all wrong or subpar about them... Very nice in fact... But not particularly note worthy IMO.

Saw three Big 10 schools... based on facilities and fields, it clearly remains a football conference.

On the D3 side -- entirely different level of facilities obviously -- but Grinnell College in Iowa had a nice yard plus serious indoor facilities and Emory in Atlanta had a truly great little yard situated nicely on campus.

For my Texas brethren who haven't been out to Lubbock in person, Texas Tech stadium and facilities are highly impressive.

Soylent - sounds like a lot of fun.  Grinnell, eh?  I tried to get my eldest interested in that school cause it's a good school with an amazingly large endowment, but Iowa is a hard sell to a CA boy.  But my youngest is thinking of trying to play D3 ball, so maybe I'll try to get it on his radar.

Soylent,

I agree on your assessment about Grinnell. Coach H has done a really great job with the facilities. 

JCG, I know there were several California recruits the last few years. The 2018 class has the most CA recruits the last 5 years I believe so yeah,your son should consider visiting if Coach H extends him a college invite. 

Many of the mid to top D1s, and some D2's in FL and CA are really nice(love natural grass). USC in CA is a special treat for those who are nostalgic for their past glory. The locker room alone is filled with large mural portraits of former USC greats.

Of course for scenery, it is tough to beat Pepperdine & UCSB right on the pacific ocean.

As to one that is probably not well known, Highpoint in the Big South has an incredible campus and very nice field/facility.

Haven't been to Cincy on business, so haven't seen their facilities.  I am on the other side of the state, and no reason to go there, if not for business.  Can give a thumbs up to Penn State's field and campus in general.  Very nice!  Sat and watched fall baseball practice at PSU last week, and enjoyed that very much.  Their stadium is also a minor league facility (shared with the "State College Spikes" St. Louis Cardinals affiliate) and was quite impressive.  Off to Northern California in a couple of weeks, so hoping to see some more.