Melching Field at Conrad Park

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Melching Field at Conrad Park
Deland Melching Field01.jpg
Melching Field at Conrad Park
Location555 S. Woodland Blvd.
DeLand, Florida
Capacity 2,500
Field sizeLeft Field: 335 ft
Center Field: 403 ft
Right Field: 335 ft
OpenedFebruary 12, 1999
Tenants
Stetson Hatters baseball (NCAA D1 ASUN) (1999–present)
Daytona Cubs (FSL) (2004; some games)
DeLand Suns (FCSL) (2009–present)
ASUN Tournament (1989, 1991, 1993, 1996–97, 2002–09, 2012, 2017)

Melching Field at Conrad Park is a baseball stadium located in DeLand, Florida. The primary tenant of Melching Field is the Stetson University Hatters college baseball team, a Division I program playing in the ASUN Conference.

Contents

Features

Melching Field features 2,500 chair and benchback seats, with room for approximately 500 more spectators in a grass berm area along the first base foul line. The partially covered grandstand includes a large press box with two radio broadcast booths, a television broadcast booth, a media area, and two luxury boxes. The lower section of seating between the first and third base dugouts features chair-back box seats, while the upper section features bench-back seating. Underneath the grandstand, fans can find a full-service concession area and restrooms.

Player amenities include home and visiting locker rooms, coaches' offices and a covered batting cage area. The field itself features natural grass and symmetrical outfield dimensions. An electronic scoreboard is located beyond the left field fence.

History

The ballpark is named for R. Dale Melching, a Stetson alumnus and donor who represented the United States national baseball team at the 1942 Amateur World Series in Havana, Cuba. [1] Prior to the ballpark's opening in 1999, the previous home of the Stetson Hatters baseball team, Conrad Park, was located on the same site, with home plate then located where center field now exists in Melching Field. Conrad Park was the home of spring training games during the 1940s and 1950s, as well as the home of the DeLand Red Hats of the Florida State League.

Melching Field opened on February 12, 1999, where a crowd of 2,874 saw the Stetson Hatters defeat the University of Louisville 4–3. Since that time, over 250,000 fans have witnessed Hatters baseball at Melching Field, including 49,200 fans in 2005 (which was the 32nd highest attendance in all of NCAA baseball, despite the fact Stetson is a smaller school of less than 3,000 undergraduates.)

Stetson hosting Kennesaw State (April 10, 2022) MelchingFieldPanorama041022.jpg
Stetson hosting Kennesaw State (April 10, 2022)

Secondary tenants

Besides Hatters baseball, Melching Field has also hosted a number of Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournaments (1989, 1991, 1993, 1996–97, 2002–09, 2012), [2] [3] along with high school and amateur tournaments. Several Daytona Cubs games in 2004 after the Cubs home ballpark, Jackie Robinson Ballpark, was damaged in Hurricane Charley. Beginning in 2009, the field has hosted home games of the DeLand Suns, a collegiate summer baseball team and member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League.

In 2018, for the first time, Melching Field hosted a Regional round in the NCAA Baseball tournament. The host team from Stetson University ultimately won the round and advanced to its first-ever Super Regional round appearance.

See also

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The 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 23 through 26. Belmont won their second consecutive and second overall championship with a 10–4 championship game victory over Kennesaw State. The Bruins joined the Ohio Valley Conference beginning with the 2013 season. Belmont earned the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The DeLand Red Hats were a minor-league baseball team in DeLand, Florida that played in the Florida State League (FSL) from 1936–1954. They played in Conrad Park, near Stetson University.

The 2013 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 22 through 25. East Tennessee State won their first tournament championship and claimed the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The Buccaneers joined the conference in 2005.

The 2009 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 21 through 24. Jacksonville won its fourth tournament championship to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The event was heavily marred by rain, resulting in two format changes. Originally planned as a six team double-elimination tournament, the format was changed to a single elimination format.

The 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 21 through 25. Lipscomb won its first tournament championship to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. Lipscomb joined the conference prior to the 2004 season.

The 2007 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 23 through 26. Jacksonville won its third tournament championship to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 2006 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 25 through 27. Stetson won its sixth tournament championship, and second in a row, to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2006 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 2017 ASUN Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 24 through 27. Third seeded Florida Gulf Coast won their first championship and claimed the ASUN Conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 2019 ASUN Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park, home field of the Stetson Hatters baseball team in DeLand, Florida, from May 22 through 25. The winner of the tournament, Liberty, claimed the ASUN Conference's automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 2005 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 26 through 28. Stetson won its fifth tournament championship to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 2004 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 26 through 29. Florida Atlantic won its first and only tournament championship to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 2003 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 26 through 29. Jacksonville won its second tournament championship to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 2002 Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament was held at Melching Field at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from May 22 through 25. UCF won its sixth and final tournament championship to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

References

  1. ↑ "2014-2015 Policies and Procedure Manual" (PDF). Gohatters.com. Stetson University Athletics. p. 27. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "Atlantic Sun Recordbook - Baseball" (PDF). AtlanticSun.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Belmont Wins Back-to-Back A-Sun Baseball Titles". AtlanticSun.org. 26 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2012.

29°01′12″N81°18′08″W / 29.019921°N 81.302097°W / 29.019921; -81.302097

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