Bowling Green Ballpark facts for kids
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Location | 300 8th Avenue Bowling Green, KY 42101 |
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Coordinates | 36°59′48.40″N 86°26′27.26″W / 36.9967778°N 86.4409056°W |
Owner | City of Bowling Green |
Operator | Triple Play, LLC. |
Capacity | 4,559 |
Field size | Left Field: 318 ft (97 m) Center Field: 400 ft (122 m) Right Field: 326 ft (99 m) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | June 4, 2008 |
Opened | April 17, 2009 |
Construction cost | $28 million ($38.2 million in 2022 dollars ) |
Architect | DLR Group |
Structural engineer | Haris Engineering, Inc. |
General contractor | Alliance Corporation |
Tenants | |
Bowling Green Hot Rods (SAL/MWL/High-A East) 2009–present |
Bowling Green Ballpark is a cool baseball stadium in Downtown Bowling Green, Kentucky. It has 4,559 seats for fans. This stadium is mainly used for baseball games. It is the home field for the Bowling Green Hot Rods team. They play in the High-A East league, which is part of Minor League Baseball.
The stadium first opened on April 17, 2009. It was a huge event called Citizens First Opening Night. A massive crowd of 6,886 people came to watch. The Bowling Green Hot Rods played against the Kannapolis Intimidators. The Hot Rods won the game 8–4. This exciting game brought professional baseball back to Bowling Green after 67 years! Many special "first" pitches were thrown. The Hot Rods players were even driven onto the field in awesome vintage cars.
The ballpark is also sometimes used by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers baseball team. They play big games there, like their matches against the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team in 2017 and 2019.
Cool Features of the Ballpark
The Bowling Green Ballpark was designed by a company called DLR Group. One special thing about the stadium is its right-centerfield wall. It curves inward because of a road behind it. This makes the field unique!
There is a giant scoreboard in right-centerfield. It is 35 feet tall and 56 feet wide. This huge screen shows scores, live video, and player stats. In the left field wall, there is a long LED display board. It is 6 feet tall and 68 feet wide. Behind this board, there is a picnic area where families can eat.
The stadium also has two grassy areas for seating. One is in left-center, and the other is along the right field line. These are great spots to relax and watch the game.
Fun for Kids
The ballpark has a special play area just for kids! It includes a bouncy car with the Hot Rods' logo. There is also a carousel and a playground. Behind the centerfield wall, there is even a splash-pad to cool off on hot days.
Special Seating Areas
The stadium has a special area called the Reinhart Club. It is located on the suite level, right behind home plate. There are also 10 private suites on this level. Plus, there is a Hall of Fame suite and a party deck called The Coca-Cola Deck. These areas are perfect for groups or special events.
Events at the Ballpark
Bowling Green Ballpark hosts more than just baseball games. It has also been the site for other exciting events.
For example, from May 23 to May 27, 2012, the stadium hosted a big baseball tournament. It was the 2012 Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament. The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks team won that tournament.
Many concerts have also taken place at the ballpark. Famous artists like Florida Georgia Line, Nelly, Jake Owen, Ted Nugent, and Uncle Kracker have performed there.