James J. McCann Baseball Field

James J. McCann Baseball Field is a baseball venue in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA. It is home to the Marist Red Foxes college baseball team of the NCAA's Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The facility has a seated capacity of 350 spectators. It opened in 1992.^[1] The field's namesake is James J. McCann, a Poughkeepsie native and supporter of Marist athletics.^[2]

History

In the early 1990's, Marist trustee John J. Gartland, Jr. and the McCann Foundation worked with Marist to raise funding for a baseball facility that would allow the school to compete at the Division I level. In 1991, after funding was raised, McCann Baseball Field was built. It hosted its first game on March 29, 1992, an 8-4 Marist win over Fairleigh Dickinson.^[1]

In 2005, the facility hosted the Empire State Games baseball tournament.^[1]

Features

The field's seating is located behind home plate and along the third base line. In foul territory, the field features a four-foot fence, which was installed in 2007 and allows spectators to stand along the foul lines. The outfield fences varies in height from seven to nine feet. In center field, the fence lies 414 feet from home plate, the farthest center field fence in the MAAC. The field itself is a natural turf mixture of bluegrass, rye, and fescue. It grows in a sand base, which serves as a drainage system for the field. Around the field, the facility features batting cages, bullpens, locker rooms, and a training room.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "McCann Baseball Field". Go Red Foxes. Archived from the original on 12-20-2011. http://www.webcitation.org/644lagzU4. Retrieved 20 December 2011. 
2. ^ "McCann Arena". Go Red Foxes. Archived from the original on 12-20-2011. http://www.webcitation.org/644lpV7HM. Retrieved 20 December 2011.