Swayze Field

Oxford-University Stadium at Swayze Field is the home of the University of Mississippi Rebels college baseball team and is located in Oxford, Mississippi. It is named in honor of Tom Swayze, a former Ole Miss baseball player and coach.

Oxford-University Stadium
Swayze Field
LocationOxford, Mississippi
Coordinates34°21′43″N 89°31′44″W
OwnerUniversity of Mississippi
OperatorUniversity of Mississippi
Capacity11,477[1]
Record attendance12,152 (April 28, 2018 vs. LSU)[2]
Field sizeLeft Field: 330 ft (101 m)
Alleys: 365 ft (110 m)
Center Field: 390 ft (119 m)
Right Field: 330 ft (101 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
OpenedMarch 27, 1988
(expanded 2003, 2009)
Construction cost$3.75 million (Original cost)
Tenants
Ole Miss Rebels (NCAA) (1988-Present)

The $3.75 million stadium opened on February 19, 1989 with a double header sweep of Cumberland University. The actual stadium sits on city property off-campus and was built by the City of Oxford, using a 2% Local Tourism Tax on prepared food and alcohol to pay for it.

Features

Right field terrace

The hill beyond the right field wall was equipped with a seating area in 1993 that sits comfortably between the field and eight tennis courts. This has historically been a section for students. Since the 2000 season the area has undergone many improvements. What began as a gathering place for about 100 students has grown into an area of about 1,000 students per game during conference season. This area however is not counted as part of the stadium.

Right field traditions

1.) One of the main right field traditions involves the players themselves. After warmups are completed, each inning the outfielders throw the baseball into the right field student section where students write messages on them and then throw the ball back to the outfielders for warm ups the next inning.
2.) Throwing cups of beer into the air (beer showers) after Ole Miss home runs and walk off hits.

Left field terrace

For many years there was nothing but trees and a parking lot beyond the left field wall. In 2006, the left field area, known as Oakes Pavilion, was renovated with a new scoreboard equipped with a large video board and the seating areas were upgraded with grills, picnic tables, and a play area for children. The left field area can hold around 2,500 fans and has become one of the more popular areas of the field.[3] It is mainly reserved for the families and non-students.

Stadium amenities

Below the stands are coach's offices, locker rooms, player's lounge, press area, and a workout area for the pitchers. Along the first base line is a 6,800-square-foot (630 m2) hitting complex. In 2006 a large video board was added that supplies fans with replays during the game.

Expansion

In April 2007, Ole Miss announced that their baseball stadium would undergo an $18.5 million expansion. The expansion was mostly completed in time for the 2009 baseball season. The expansion resulted in an increase of the overall number of seats to just over 6,000 and a total capacity exceeding 8,500.[4][5][6][7] The architect for both the original facility and the expansion was Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons. On June 6, 2009, an Ole Miss record 10,323 were present to watch the Super Regional game vs the University of Virginia (UVA won 4-3).

  • Swayze Field expansion construction.
  • Swayze Field expansion completion.
  • Panoramic view of Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field at Ole Miss in 2006.

Attendance

The first Ole Miss game with more than 10,000 fans (10,323) in attendance occurred on June 6, 2009 against Virginia in Super Regional play.

On April 28, 2018, a new attendance record, 12,152, was set on Double Decker Weekend in a game against LSU, which then No.6 Ole Miss won 9-8.[8]

In 2013, the Rebels ranked 3rd among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 7,996 per home game.[9]

In 2015, 2016, & 2017, the Rebels ranked 2nd among Division I baseball programs in per game attendance, averaging 8,028,[10] 8,619,[11] & 9,238 per home game, respectively.

Stadium attendance in excess of 11,000
Date Opponent Attendance Notes
April 28, 2018 LSU 12,152 Double Decker weekend
February 17, 2017 East Carolina 12,117 Opening Day
April 2, 2019 North Alabama 12,081 School Day Game
April 27, 2018 LSU 11,861 Double Decker weekend
April 13, 2013 Alabama 11,729 First crowd in excess of 11,000
February 18, 2017 East Carolina 11,494 All-time record set day prior
June 2, 2018 Saint Louis 11,304 Post season record
April 1, 2017 Mississippi State 11,204
April 5, 2019 Florida 11,026 Grove Bowl weekend
March 31, 2017 Mississippi State 11,017

See also

References
  1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/olemisssports.com/documents/2019/2/8/2019_Ole_Miss_Baseball_Media_Guide_Web.pdf
  2. "Allen Propels Rebels To 5-2 Win Over Alabama". Ole Miss Sports. 21 April 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-04-23. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  3. Ole Miss Sports Official Website
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-03-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2009-03-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/042818aaa.html
  9. Cutler, Tami (June 11, 2013). "2013 Division I Baseball Attendance - Final Report" (PDF). Sportswriters.net. NCBWA. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  10. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_RB/2016/attend.pdf
  11. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_RB/2017/attend.pdf
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