Knights Stadium

Knights Stadium is a defunct baseball stadium which served as the home of the International League's Charlotte Knights from 1990 to 2013 and had a capacity of 10,002. The park was located across the state line from Charlotte, North Carolina in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The stadium closed at the end of the 2013 season and the Knights moved to BB&T Ballpark in uptown Charlotte for the 2014 season.

For the Melbourne Knights' home stadium, see Knights Stadium (Melbourne).
Knights Stadium
The Castle
Former namesKnight's Castle
Location2280 Deerfield Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29715
Coordinates35°3′9″N 80°57′16″W
OwnerYork County
OperatorCharlotte Knights Baseball, LLC
Capacity10,002
Field sizeLeft Field — 326 feet
Center Field — 400 feet
Right Field — 325 feet
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundFebruary 20, 1989[1]
OpenedApril 5, 1990
ClosedSeptember 2, 2013
DemolishedEarly 2015
Construction cost$12 million[2]
($23.5 million in 2019 dollars[3])
ArchitectOdell Associates[2]
Structural engineerGeiger Engineers[4]
General contractorMcDevitt & Street Construction Co.[5]
Tenants
Charlotte Knights (SL/IL) (1990–2013)
Big South Conference Baseball Tournament (1997–1998)
Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament (2000–2001)

Knights Stadium was easily accessible from Interstate 77. Exit 88 (Gold Hill Road) connects the expressway with the stadium. Near the stadium is a water tower painted to resemble a baseball on a tee, which can be seen from Interstate 77 and remains painted in that pattern as of the summer of 2019.

History

The stadium was built to Major League Baseball specifications to be used should Charlotte land a major league team. It was designed to expand to 40,000 seats by completely or partially enclosing the outfield.

During construction, the Knights, then a member of the Class AA Southern League, played in an 8,000-seat temporary stadium known as Knights Castle. The present stadium was originally known as Knights Castle, but was renamed to Knights Stadium in the late 1990s. The stadium was still known among Charlotteans as The Castle.

On July 13, 1992, the ballpark hosted the Double-A All-Star Game in which a team of American League-affiliated All-Stars defeated a team of National League-affiliated All-Stars, 4–3, before 4,009 people in attendance.[6]

The venue hosted the 1997 and 1998 Big South Conference Baseball Tournaments, won by UNC Greensboro and Liberty, respectively.[7] It also hosted the 2000 and 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournaments, won by Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, respectively.[8]

On July 4, 2007, a franchise record 15,427 fans attended the game between the Knights and the Durham Bulls.[9] This would be the exception rather than the norm for much of the new millennium, which saw sagging attendance. The stadium was located 30 minutes south of Charlotte, and many fans were reluctant to brave traffic on Interstate 77 to get there.

The stadium hosted its last Knights game on September 2, 2013, a 4-0 Knights victory over the Gwinnett Braves.[10] After the game, several longtime employees dug up home plate and each of the bases and presented them to team mascot Homer the Dragon. Homer then saluted Knights Stadium one last time, and boarded a helicopter bound for Uptown Charlotte and BB&T Ballpark.[11] In June 2014, York County sold the land to Cato Corporation, a Charlotte-based retailer of women's fashions and accessories. The contract Cato signed permits them to use the land for any industrial, commercial or residential purpose. The stadium was demolished in early 2015.

References
  1. "Knights' Shinn Ready to Break More Ground". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. February 10, 1989. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  2. Cal Harrison (September 2, 1989). "Pinstripes to Adorn Knights Stadium". The Herald (Rock Hill). Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. "Karen Allen Lynch, P.E." Geiger Engineers, P.C. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  5. "Rain Temporary Setback at Stadium". The Charlotte Observer. October 10, 1989. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  6. Olson, Stan (July 14, 1992). "Walbeck Not Quite the Hero". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "2011 Big South Baseball Record Book" (PDF). Big South Conference. pp. 20–22. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  8. "2012 ACC Baseball Guide". Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  9. "IL News and Notes". International League. July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
  10. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/02/4283167/charlotte-knights-close-out-era.html#.UiaId2TwJZ8
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2013-09-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Knights Castle		 Home of the
Charlotte Knights
1990 – 2013		 Succeeded by
BB&T Ballpark
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