Montpelier Recreation Field
Encyclopedia
Montpelier Recreation Field is a baseball
venue located in Montpelier
, Vermont
, USA and is the home field of the Vermont Mountaineers
of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
. The field has served as the Mountaineers home since 2003
..
, with support from the depression-era Federal Government, featuring a 1,200 seat capacity grandstand (which is still in use today) and bleachers down the firstbase and thirdbase lines.. In the first decade of its existence, starting from 1941, it was home to the Montpelier Senators and, later the Twin City Trojans.
voted to award a franchise to a local Montpelier baseball group. Since then the Rec Field has been the home of the Vermont Mountaineers
, enjoying high attendances and success on the field, with the Mountaineers reaching the post-season in six of their seven seasons, including an active six-year streak.
the Mountaineers enjoyed the highest average attendance in the league and have consistently been near the top of the league in this category since.
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...
venue located in Montpelier
Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, USA and is the home field of the Vermont Mountaineers
Vermont Mountaineers
The Vermont Mountaineers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Montpelier, Vermont. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays their home games at Montpelier Recreation Field.-History:...
of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
New England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...
. The field has served as the Mountaineers home since 2003
2003 NECBL season
The 2003 NECBL season marked the tenth season of the existence of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league expanded to thirteen teams with the addition of the Vermont Mountaineers of Montpelier, Vermont. The franchise was the league's first in the New England state of Vermont...
..
The Montpelier Senators and the Twin City Trojans
The field was constructed in 1940 by the Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, with support from the depression-era Federal Government, featuring a 1,200 seat capacity grandstand (which is still in use today) and bleachers down the firstbase and thirdbase lines.. In the first decade of its existence, starting from 1941, it was home to the Montpelier Senators and, later the Twin City Trojans.
Robin Roberts
During this time the Robin Roberts played at Rec Field for the Twin City Trojans. He remembers his time at the Rec Field fondly: "It was a great experience ... you can’t imagine a guy that age having a better summer then we had in Vermont", "We were really good then. I won 17 straight starts that year in Vermont". In 1976 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.Vermont Mountaineers
When the league folded in 1952 Rec Field endured a half-century without a professional tenant. This ended in 2003 when the New England Collegiate Baseball LeagueNew England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...
voted to award a franchise to a local Montpelier baseball group. Since then the Rec Field has been the home of the Vermont Mountaineers
Vermont Mountaineers
The Vermont Mountaineers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Montpelier, Vermont. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays their home games at Montpelier Recreation Field.-History:...
, enjoying high attendances and success on the field, with the Mountaineers reaching the post-season in six of their seven seasons, including an active six-year streak.
Full list of tenants
- 1941-1952 - Montpelier Senators of the Second Northern League.
- 1941-1952 - Twin City Trojans of the Second Northern League.
- 2003-present - Vermont MountaineersVermont MountaineersThe Vermont Mountaineers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Montpelier, Vermont. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays their home games at Montpelier Recreation Field.-History:...
of the NECBL.
Attendance
In their inaugural season2003 NECBL season
The 2003 NECBL season marked the tenth season of the existence of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league expanded to thirteen teams with the addition of the Vermont Mountaineers of Montpelier, Vermont. The franchise was the league's first in the New England state of Vermont...
the Mountaineers enjoyed the highest average attendance in the league and have consistently been near the top of the league in this category since.
| Season | Game Avg. | League Rk. |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 2003 NECBL season The 2003 NECBL season marked the tenth season of the existence of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league expanded to thirteen teams with the addition of the Vermont Mountaineers of Montpelier, Vermont. The franchise was the league's first in the New England state of Vermont... |
1,666 | 1st |
| 2004 2004 NECBL season The 2004 NECBL season was the 11th season in the history of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league's Middletown, Connecticut franchise, the Middletown Giants, moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts and became the Holyoke Giants... |
1,643 | 3rd |
| 2005 2005 NECBL season The 2005 NECBL season was the twelfth season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league reduced its membership from thirteen teams to twelve teams with the league's West Warwick, Rhode Island franchise, the Riverpoint Royals, dropping out of the league... |
1,707 | 2nd |
| 2006 2006 NECBL season The 2006 NECBL season was the thirteenth season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league's Lowell, Massachusetts franchise, the Mill City All-Americans, was renamed and became the Lowell All-Americans.... |
1,754 | 2nd |
| 2007 2007 NECBL season The 2007 NECBL season was the fourteenth season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league operating in the northeastern United States region of New England.... |
1,518 | 3rd |
| 2008 2008 NECBL season The 2008 NECBL season was the fifteenth season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league. The league's Holyoke, Massachusetts franchise, the Holyoke Giants moved to Lynn, Massachusetts and became the North Shore Navigators... |
1,720 | 3rd |
| 2009 2009 NECBL season The 2009 NECBL season is the sixteenth season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league. The league's Torrington, Connecticut franchise, the Torrington Twisters, moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts and became the New Bedford Bay Sox... |
1,350 | 3rd |
Notable events
- Robin Roberts Night, July 21, 2003. Robin took the mound at the Rec Field for the first time since 1947, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in front of nearly 3,000 fans.
- The 2004 All-Star Game2004 NECBL All-Star GameThe 2004 NECBL All-Star Game was the 12th exhibition game between all-stars from the NECBL's Northern and the Southern Divisions. The Southern All-Stars held off the Northern All-Stars 7-4. P.J...
drew 4,127 to Montpelier Recreation Field, a then-NECBL record for highest All-Star Game attendance.