L.P. Frans Stadium is a stadium in Hickory, North Carolina. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Hickory Crawdads Minor League Baseball team of the High-A East. It was built in 1993 and has a fixed seating capacity of roughly 4,000.
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Location | 2500 Clement Boulevard Hickory, North Carolina, US |
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Coordinates | 35°44′57″N 81°22′43″W |
Owner | Hickory Baseball, Inc. |
Operator | Hickory Baseball, Inc. |
Capacity | 5,062 (4,000 fixed seats) |
Record attendance | 5,283 |
Field size | Left Field: 330 feet (100 m) Center Field: 401 feet (122 m) Right Field: 330 feet (100 m) |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | September 21, 1992[1] |
Opened | April 16, 1993[2] |
Construction cost | $4.5 million ($8.44 million in 2021 dollars[3]) |
Architect | Lescher and Mahoney CBSA Architects, Inc. |
Services engineer | Brittain Engineering, Inc.[4] |
General contractor | Wayne Brothers, Inc.[5] |
Tenants | |
Hickory Crawdads (SAL/High-A East) 1993–present Catawba Valley Stars (GSL/CVCL) 2009–present |
L.P. Frans Stadium is located three miles (4.8 km) from I-40 in Winkler Park. It was built on land donated by Elmer Winkler in 1993 and named after the local Pepsi-Cola bottler who partially funded the stadium's construction.[6]
Improvements made to the stadium after the 2013 season brought a brand new VIP section, a picnic pavilion, and three outdoor party patios. A completely renovated Crawdads Cafe, suites, and concourse were also a part of the improvements.[7] Following the 2017 season, another round of renovations was announced. The renovations included a new HD video board, a new playing surface, renovated dugouts, replacing the outfield walls, and removing the support poles holding up the protective netting to improve sightlines.
Ballparks in the South Atlantic League | |
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North Division | |
South Division |
Sports venues in Western North Carolina | |
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