| Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium | |
|---|---|
| The Bosh Pit | |
Boshamer Stadium before 2007 |
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| Full name | Bryson Field at Cary C. Boshamer Stadium |
| Location | 235 Ridge Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5071, USA |
| Built | 1970-1972 |
| Opened | March 21, 1972 |
| Renovated | 2007-2009 |
| Owner | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Operator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction cost | $25.5 million (expansion) |
| Architect | Populous (expansion) |
| Capacity | 5,000 (4,100 seated) |
| Field dimensions | Left Field: 335 ft (102.1 m) Left Center Field: 370 ft (112.8 m) Center Field: 400 ft (121.9 m) Right Center Field: 355 ft (108.2 m) Right Field: 340 ft (103.6 m) |
| Tenants | |
| North Carolina Tar Heels (NCAA) 1972-2007, 2009-Present | |
Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium is a baseball stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is the home of the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team.
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The previous home of the Tar Heels had been a multi-use venue called Emerson Field, which sat some 2,400 people. The combination baseball/football field was opened in 1916 and had been named for a university benefactor best known as the inventor of Bromo-Seltzer. The football team left Emerson when they opened Kenan Memorial Stadium in 1927. Emerson would continue as the home of the baseball team for another 45 seasons. Its site is now occupied by Davis Library.
Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium opened in 1972. It was named for textile industrialist Cary C. Boshamer and the family of benefactor and former first baseman Vaughn Bryson.
The Tar Heels' on-field success during the mid-2000s coincided with the decision to replace the 35-year-old facility. Following the 2007 season, the stadium was demolished and rebuilt. UNC won their final game in the old Boshamer Stadium 9-4 over the University of South Carolina.[1]
The Tar Heels played their 2008 season at USA Baseball National Training Complex in nearby Cary, North Carolina.
The entrance courtyard of the rebuilt stadium is named for the Steinbrenner family, as the result of a $1 million donation by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, whose daughter graduated from UNC.
Since expansion, the stadium has a listed capacity of 4,100, but has overflow capabilities for more than 5,000. Before renevations, seating was around home plate, from the end of one dugout to the other. Today, seating extends down both the 1st and 3rd base lines. Sections past the dugout on the 1st base line are now reserved for student seating, nicknamed "The Bosh Pit".
In 2011, the Tar Heels ranked 37th in Division I college baseball in attendance, averaging 1,577 per home game.[2]
The field dimensions are as follows:
The asymmetry of the field is partly the result of an inward bulge in the fence in right center.
| Preceded by Emerson Field |
Home of the North Carolina Tar Heels 1972-2007 |
Succeeded by USA Baseball National Training Complex |
| Preceded by USA Baseball National Training Complex |
Home of the North Carolina Tar Heels 2009- |
Succeeded by None |
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