AUBURN, Ala. — Widely regarded as one of the top college baseball venues in the country, Auburn’s Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park will receive several enhancements prior to the 2017 season.
“Plainsman Park has stood the test of time,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “It was 2003’s National Ballpark of the Year, has endured and is still one of the best. I’m thankful going into my first full year for the commitment of the university to enhance our timeless ballpark.”
A previous winner of Baseball America’s “Ballpark of the Year”, Plainsman Park will see several exciting upgrades introduced in time for the 2017 season.
Most notable will be the construction of a new state-of-the-art high-definition video board in left-centerfield. Measuring 24’0″ x 62’4″, the new video board project will also include a new and improved ballpark sound system aimed at enhancing fan experience.
Additionally, Auburn will replace the stadium’s chair back seating as well as adding a new LED light system.
Originally completed in 1950, Plainsman Park (capacity 4,096) underwent a major renovation in 1996 and has had multiple additions completed in the subsequent years. In 2016 it was named one of the top ballparks in the country by D1 Baseball.
The 1996 remodel was designed with an old-time baseball feel while also holding true with architectural elements featured prominently on the Auburn campus. The ballpark features the brick backstop of Wrigley Field, the dark green chair backs seats of Camden Yards and the Green Monster of Fenway Park.
The university renamed the facility Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park in May of 2003, naming the stadium after long-time Auburn Board of Trustee Member W. James “Jimmy” Samford, Jr.
Samford worked tirelessly in spearheading the efforts for the renovations of Plainsman Park in the late 1990s. It was his work that has made Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park one of the top collegiate baseball facilities in the country.
The late Jimmy Hitchcock was Auburn’s first All-American in both baseball and football and was known as the “Phantom of Union Springs” for his overall athletic ability. Following a career in major league baseball, Jimmy Hitchcock coached the Auburn baseball team in the 1940s before being elected to the Public Service Commission of Auburn on three different occasions.
Billy Hitchcock led Auburn to its first SEC baseball title in 1937 and to its first football bowl game later that fall. Following a nine-year major league playing career with five teams, “Mr. Billy” earned the title of “The Dignified War Eagle” as manager of the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves and as commissioner of the Southern League.
