 The new scoreboard is one of the best in the nation.  |
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Reckling Park Resurfacing - Summer 2007 (Gallery No. 6)
Reckling Park Resurfacing - Summer 2007 (Gallery No. 5)
Reckling Park Resurfacing - Summer 2007 (Gallery No. 4)
Reckling Park Resurfacing - Summer 2007 (Gallery No. 3)
Reckling Park Resurfacing - Summer 2007 (Gallery No. 2)
Reckling Park Resurfacing - Summer 2007 (Gallery No. 1)
Entering its ninth season in 2008, Reckling Park underwent extensive renovations in the summer of 2007 and is now even better than ever before.
The recent renovations include a brand new playing surface and state-of-the-art drainage system.
A padded outfield wall and warning track that surrounds the entire field was added to
improve player-safety. For the fans, a new grass berm and bleachers beyond the left field wall, a new hospitality plaza on the third-base side were all added and a new scoreboard and video display center are to be added in-season.
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Reckling Park was always one of the best places in the country to watch the college game. The changes now make among the very best places in the country to watch and play the college game. These improvements give Rice student-athletes a venue befitting its status as one of the top programs in the nation.
From its picturesque setting on the Rice campus facing the Texas Medical Center, to the comfort of the more than 3,700 chairback seats (most with cupholders), to the nine private suites, to the spacious locker rooms for both teams and umpires, to the best press box in college baseball, every visitor has raved about Reckling Park.
Rice baseball is completely housed in the facility. Head coach Wayne Graham and his assistants work in a spacious office suite which includes their private locker room, equipment storage areas and clerical areas.
For the players, the Rice clubhouse is one of the best anywhere, adjacent to the weight and aerobic workout areas and athletic training room. In 2004, a brand new climate-controlled, indoor hitting and pitching practice facility was constructed under the third base stands.
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On game day, the Owls and their guests use some of the largest dugouts in the country. Visiting teams and umpires also have use of large, functional locker room areas.
Fans continue to flock to the stadium. Rice has averaged more than 3,100 fans per game the last four seasons, ranking among the top draws in the nation. Those fans have access to three large concession areas, a large novelty shop and comfortable rest rooms.
For the media, the Reckling Park press box may be the largest in an on-campus stadium in the country. There are three radio booths, a television booth/photo deck, and an area for more than 30 working writers and game personnel. In addition, the press box includes a large interview room, hospitality areas, and a workroom for game officials.
Located on the southwest corner of the university campus near Autry Court, Reckling Park was built on the site of Cameron Field, Rice's baseball home from 1978 through 1999. The old stadium was demolished at the close of the '99 season and work began immediately on Reckling.
Following the Owls' national championship season in 2003, additional seating expanded the capacity of the stadium proper to more than 4,000 in time for the postseason.
Attendance reached an overflow level of 5,234 in the Owls' ESPN-televised game against Texas A&M in June, 2007.
An improvement to Cameron that has lived on at Reckling is the enclosed batting cage area down the right-field line. That facility was dedicated to the memory of Earl "Lefty" Graham, a longtime umpire in the Houston area and the father of the Rice coach.
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Reckling Park measures 330-feet down the lines, 400-feet to centerfield, and 375-feet to the power alleys.
A sellout crowd of 4,117 watched the first game played in the new park, a 6-2 loss to Houston. Rice has won more than 84 percent of its games at Reckling Park and the Owls' 36 wins in 2002 stands as the most home wins in Rice history.
Guy Jackson of Jackson & Ryan Architects, a Rice alumnus and former baseball letterman, was the principle designer of the stadium, and it was built by Miner-Dederich Constructors.
