Earl Wilson Stadium
Encyclopedia
Earl E. Wilson Baseball Stadium at Roger Barnson Field is a baseball
stadium
located on the northwest corner of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
campus in Paradise, Nevada
. It has been the home field for the UNLV Hustlin' Rebels
college baseball
team since its opening in 1994. The stadium features 2,500 theater-type seats and 500 bleacher back seats bringing the stadium's capacity to 3,000. The stadium was dedicated on January 29, 1994 in conjunction with a UNLV Alumni game. 2,500 attended the game and grand opening ceremonies. In 1997, the infield playing surface was replaced and the outfield fence was replaced with a new fence that stands 12' high. In 2007 the stadium received a new playing serface and in 2009 it received a new scoreboard in left field to replace the original one. Earl Wilson Stadium has hosted the most Mountain West Conference Baseball Tournament
s with four (2000, 2004, 2006, 2007). In 2010, the locker rooms were remodeled, the clubhouse lounge area received new flatscreen TVs and couches, the infield grass was replaced, new black padding was installed behind the backstop, a fresh halo was installed around the batting circle and the facility received a fresh coat of red paint. Future plans call for a new clubhouse, a new synthetic outfield surface, an overhang for the bleachers, a two-story press box, new batting cages and a video scoreboard to replace the scoreboard which was installed in 2009.
Earl Wilson Stadium sits on the former site of UNLV's original baseball stadium, Rebel Field. Rebel Field opened on April 1, 1973, when the Hustlin' Rebels lost to Southern Cal 9–2 in front of 1,500 fans. The attendance record at the stadium happened in May 1977 when 5,000 watched the Kenny Rogers Celebrity-News Media Softball Game benefiting the Nevada Special Olympics. In 1980, Hustlin' Rebel Field was renamed Roger Barnson Field in honor of the late UNLV assistant athletic director, Roger Barnson. Barnson, a former pitcher at Arizona State University had lost his life in an automobile accident on March 14, 1980.
Earl Wilson Stadium was built with $1.2 million from a $6.5 million gift from the estate of Earl and Hazel Wilson. The $6.5 million gift was the largest single gift ever received by the university, was donated by the late Hazel Wilson on behalf of her late husband, Earl. Earl Wilson was a Las Vegas businessman who was a major stockholder in the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
in downtown Las Vegas and had played semi-professional baseball in Oregon.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located on the northwest corner of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
campus in Paradise, Nevada
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
. It has been the home field for the UNLV Hustlin' Rebels
UNLV Rebels
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas' sports teams are called the Rebels. The Rebels participate in NCAA Division I and in the Mountain West Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The school's colors are Scarlet and Grey. The Rebels' main rival is the Wolf Pack of the University...
college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
team since its opening in 1994. The stadium features 2,500 theater-type seats and 500 bleacher back seats bringing the stadium's capacity to 3,000. The stadium was dedicated on January 29, 1994 in conjunction with a UNLV Alumni game. 2,500 attended the game and grand opening ceremonies. In 1997, the infield playing surface was replaced and the outfield fence was replaced with a new fence that stands 12' high. In 2007 the stadium received a new playing serface and in 2009 it received a new scoreboard in left field to replace the original one. Earl Wilson Stadium has hosted the most Mountain West Conference Baseball Tournament
Mountain West Conference Baseball Tournament
The Mountain West Conference Baseball Tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Mountain West Conference. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament....
s with four (2000, 2004, 2006, 2007). In 2010, the locker rooms were remodeled, the clubhouse lounge area received new flatscreen TVs and couches, the infield grass was replaced, new black padding was installed behind the backstop, a fresh halo was installed around the batting circle and the facility received a fresh coat of red paint. Future plans call for a new clubhouse, a new synthetic outfield surface, an overhang for the bleachers, a two-story press box, new batting cages and a video scoreboard to replace the scoreboard which was installed in 2009.
Earl Wilson Stadium sits on the former site of UNLV's original baseball stadium, Rebel Field. Rebel Field opened on April 1, 1973, when the Hustlin' Rebels lost to Southern Cal 9–2 in front of 1,500 fans. The attendance record at the stadium happened in May 1977 when 5,000 watched the Kenny Rogers Celebrity-News Media Softball Game benefiting the Nevada Special Olympics. In 1980, Hustlin' Rebel Field was renamed Roger Barnson Field in honor of the late UNLV assistant athletic director, Roger Barnson. Barnson, a former pitcher at Arizona State University had lost his life in an automobile accident on March 14, 1980.
Earl Wilson Stadium was built with $1.2 million from a $6.5 million gift from the estate of Earl and Hazel Wilson. The $6.5 million gift was the largest single gift ever received by the university, was donated by the late Hazel Wilson on behalf of her late husband, Earl. Earl Wilson was a Las Vegas businessman who was a major stockholder in the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
Golden Nugget Las Vegas
The Golden Nugget Las Vegas is a luxury casino-hotel located in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. The property is owned and operated by Landry's Restaurants....
in downtown Las Vegas and had played semi-professional baseball in Oregon.