Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium
Encyclopedia
Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium at Tom and Lib Phillips Field is a baseball
venue on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
in Charlotte
, North Carolina
. The playing surface has been the home of the Charlotte 49ers
baseball team since 1984, and the new stadium surrounding the field was opened in 2007.
, the home of the Double-A Charlotte O's
. In 1984, a field was constructed on UNC Charlotte's campus. After businessman Tom Phillips paid to have lights added to the field in 1988, the facility was rechristened Tom and Lib Phillips Field.
The playing surface was completely redone during the 2003 season; in the meantime, the 49ers played at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium
, fifteen miles away in Kannapolis
.
In 2010, the 49ers averaged nearly 1,000 fans per game as 33,966 attended games at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium. Through the first 8 home games in 2011, 8,166 have attended games for a 1,020 average.
As of March 3, 2011, the 49ers have a 96-25 record at the stadium.
at UNC Charlotte and the school of music
at Appalachian State University
.
The renovation affected all aspects of the baseball facility at UNC Charlotte with the exception of the playing surface. Concession stands and restrooms, previously available only across the street from the field, are available inside the stadium. Whereas Phillips Field had one set of metal bleachers and a small metal pressbox, Hayes Stadium features a lower level of chairback seats and an upper level of bleachers. The pressbox consists of radio and television booths and offices for the baseball staff. On May 11, 2007, the hospitality suite that is part of the new facility was named in honor of Erik Walker, a former pitcher with the 49ers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization who was killed in a canoeing accident in October 2006.
During the initial stages of the renovation, Charlotte's baseball team practiced at local high school facilities. The first half of the 49ers' 2007 season was played mostly at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium
, but the team also played home series on the campuses of Winthrop University
and Pfeiffer University
.
. En route to the 2007 Atlantic 10 conference title, the 49ers went 25-4 in all home games, including a 13-3 record at Hayes Stadium.
Despite being finished enough to host games during the latter portions of the 2007 season, the stadium was not complete until the summer of 2007. The chairback seats were in place by late April, but the bleachers, pressbox, restrooms, and concession stands were not finished in time for the end of the season.
In October 2007 a new scoreboard was erected in right-center field, complete with a scrolling message board. Plans are in the making to add a video replay board in the future. An indoor practice hitting facility will be added adjacent to the third-base side of the stadium sometime in the near future.
businessman and philanthropist Irwin Belk.
. The burials occurred in the 1930s and '40s, before the University moved to the location in 1961. The graves are marked with plain stone markers and no record of the names of those buried there remain. The plots are closed off by wooden split-rail fencing.
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 on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The playing surface has been the home of the Charlotte 49ers
Charlotte 49ers
The Charlotte 49ers represent the NCAA Division I sports teams of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Charlotte joined the Atlantic 10 in 2005. The 49ers field 16 teams, 8 men and 8 women....
baseball team since 1984, and the new stadium surrounding the field was opened in 2007.
History
The Charlotte 49ers baseball team played its first season in 1979 at the old Crockett ParkCalvin Griffith Park
Clark Griffith Park was a stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, located at 400 Magnolia Avenue in the Dilworth section of town. The park opened in 1940 and held as many as 5,000 people in a covered grandstand which extended from first base to third base...
, the home of the Double-A Charlotte O's
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team representing Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League...
. In 1984, a field was constructed on UNC Charlotte's campus. After businessman Tom Phillips paid to have lights added to the field in 1988, the facility was rechristened Tom and Lib Phillips Field.
The playing surface was completely redone during the 2003 season; in the meantime, the 49ers played at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium
Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium
Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium is a baseball stadium in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It is the home venue for the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.-History:...
, fifteen miles away in Kannapolis
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...
.
In 2010, the 49ers averaged nearly 1,000 fans per game as 33,966 attended games at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium. Through the first 8 home games in 2011, 8,166 have attended games for a 1,020 average.
As of March 3, 2011, the 49ers have a 96-25 record at the stadium.
Renovation
In the summer of 2006 it was announced that Phillips Field would undergo a $5.9 million overhaul with the goal of making UNC Charlotte's baseball facilities top-notch. The project was funded by the late Mariam Cannon Hayes, a local philanthropist who had contributed money to numerous educational programs and facilities throughout North Carolina such as the Barnhardt Student Activity CenterDale F. Halton Arena
Dale F. Halton Arena at the James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center is an indoor sports venue located on the main campus of UNC Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina...
at UNC Charlotte and the school of music
Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music
The Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music is part of Appalachian State University and is one of the premier public music schools in the eastern United States...
at Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
.
The renovation affected all aspects of the baseball facility at UNC Charlotte with the exception of the playing surface. Concession stands and restrooms, previously available only across the street from the field, are available inside the stadium. Whereas Phillips Field had one set of metal bleachers and a small metal pressbox, Hayes Stadium features a lower level of chairback seats and an upper level of bleachers. The pressbox consists of radio and television booths and offices for the baseball staff. On May 11, 2007, the hospitality suite that is part of the new facility was named in honor of Erik Walker, a former pitcher with the 49ers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization who was killed in a canoeing accident in October 2006.
During the initial stages of the renovation, Charlotte's baseball team practiced at local high school facilities. The first half of the 49ers' 2007 season was played mostly at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium
Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium
Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium is a baseball stadium in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It is the home venue for the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.-History:...
, but the team also played home series on the campuses of Winthrop University
Winthrop University
Winthrop University is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students. The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South...
and Pfeiffer University
Pfeiffer University
Pfeiffer University is a private university located in the village of Misenheimer near Richfield, North Carolina.- History :Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Miss Emily Prudden in the late 19th century...
.
Return to Campus
The 49ers opened Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium on March 30, 2007 with a 3-1 victory over UMassUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
. En route to the 2007 Atlantic 10 conference title, the 49ers went 25-4 in all home games, including a 13-3 record at Hayes Stadium.
Despite being finished enough to host games during the latter portions of the 2007 season, the stadium was not complete until the summer of 2007. The chairback seats were in place by late April, but the bleachers, pressbox, restrooms, and concession stands were not finished in time for the end of the season.
In October 2007 a new scoreboard was erected in right-center field, complete with a scrolling message board. Plans are in the making to add a video replay board in the future. An indoor practice hitting facility will be added adjacent to the third-base side of the stadium sometime in the near future.
Statue
The facility features one of the campus's twelve Richard Hallier athletic statues. The statue of a batter graces the front entrance to the stadium. There are eleven more Hallier sports statues on the UNC Charlotte campus, all of which were donated by CharlotteCHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
businessman and philanthropist Irwin Belk.
Cemetery
Two cemetery plots bracket the front entrance to the stadium. The plots belonged to the former Mecklenburg County Indigents' Home; A hospital that cared for the poor, which was located near the current location of Carolinas Medical Center-UniversityCarolinas Medical Center-University
Carolinas Medical Center-University is a 130 bed acute care facility located in Charlotte's University City area. This hospital is the location of the second busiest emergency departments in Mecklenburg County. It is owned by Carolinas Healthcare System, one of the nation's largest publicly...
. The burials occurred in the 1930s and '40s, before the University moved to the location in 1961. The graves are marked with plain stone markers and no record of the names of those buried there remain. The plots are closed off by wooden split-rail fencing.