Baseball stadium in Hickory, North Carolina
L.P. Frans Stadium Location 2500 Clement BoulevardHickory, North Carolina , US Coordinates 35°44′57″N 81°22′43″W / 35.74917°N 81.37861°W / 35.74917; -81.37861 Owner Hickory Baseball, Inc. Operator Hickory Baseball, Inc. Capacity 5,062 (4,000 fixed seats) Record attendance 5,283 Field size Left Field: 330 feet (100 m)Center Field: 401 feet (122 m)Right Field: 330 feet (100 m)Surface Grass Broke ground September 21, 1992[ 1] Opened April 16, 1993[ 2] Construction cost $ 4.5 million ($9.49 million in 2023 dollars[ 3] )Architect Lescher and Mahoney CBSA Architects, Inc.Services engineer Brittain Engineering, Inc.[ 4] General contractor Wayne Brothers, Inc.[ 5] Hickory Crawdads (SAL /CL ) 1993–presentCatawba Valley Stars (GSL /CVCL ) 2009–present
L.P. Frans Stadium is a stadium in Hickory, North Carolina . It was built in 1993 and has a fixed seating capacity of roughly 4,000. It is primarily used for baseball , and is the home field of the Hickory Crawdads Minor League Baseball team previously of the South Atlantic League . In July 2024, MiLB announced that the Crawdads will join the Carolina League in 2025.[ 6]
Location
L.P. Frans Stadium is located across from Hickory Regional Airport approximately 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.[ 7]
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.[ 8]
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
^ "Sox Shift to Hickory" . Chicago Sun-Times . September 22, 1992. Retrieved September 20, 2011 .
^ "Want to See Crawdads' Opener? Cross Your Claws and Get in Line" . The Charlotte Observer . April 16, 1993. Retrieved September 20, 2011 .
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF) . American Antiquarian Society . 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF) . American Antiquarian Society . 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024 .
^ "Clients & Projects" . Brittain Engineering, Inc. Retrieved August 11, 2013 .
^ "Kudos!" (PDF) . Wayne Brothers, Inc. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2013 .
^ "South Atlantic, Carolina Leagues to realign in 2025" . Minor League Baseball (Press release). July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024 .
^ Knight, Graham (July 21, 2002). "L.P. Frans Stadium" . Baseball Pilgrimages . Retrieved August 11, 2013 .
^ Tinkelenberg, John (December 2, 2013). "Home-Field Advantage" . Hickory Daily Record . Retrieved May 30, 2014 .
External links
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