Review from June 13, 2018
Buies Creek Astros vs. Carolina Mudcats
Buies Creek Astros vs. Carolina Mudcats
The Champs are Here!
By: Matthew Preslar
The champs are here! Beginning in the 2017 season, the Astros were awarded an exapansion team in the Carolina League. While the permanent home of this franchise will be in Fayetteville, NC, this city couldn’t have a worthy stadium built until 2019. Therefore, a temporary home was needed. The solution was nearby Campbell University’s Jim Perry Stadium.
As I researched this facility, I learned it was named after Campbell grad and 1970 A.L. Cy Young winner, Jim Perry. That’s a fun fact for any baseball fan. I also learned about the upgrades done to this facility to temporarily house an Advanced A ball franchise and how that benefits the Division I Camels baseball program. One benefit was expanded seating which includes a CLUB area along the third base side. The most notable improvement to the playing field is that it was changed to an ENTIRELY synthetic surface. The only traditional dirt on the diamond is the pitching mound. Synthetic fields are rare, especially in the South. More turf grass is used up north where weather conditions aren’t suitable for growing grass, especially early in the calendar year. This will make field maintenance much easier for years to come as the Astros leave the park back entirely in the hands of Campbell University.
The game was a very low key affair, nothing like an average game one could attend at this level in another city. However, we expected as such with the game being on a college campus after the students have left for summer. The all-turf playing field is different. The quiet, small-scale stadium is different. As described below, we decided to give bonus points to the Astros organization. The franchise is OWNED by the Houston Astros and they have signed a 30 YEAR lease agreement with the city of Fayetteville. This means they have made an extremely long term investment in the city as well as the state of North Carolina. Having this great franchise choose to make North Carolina home means a great deal in terms of economic development. For us, Fayetteville is actually a closer drive to home than Campbell University. We can’t wait to see the new stadium and the Astros presentation starting next year.
Special consideration: +2 points
With respect to the fact that this location is not a permanent stadium, we are going to give the Buies Creek Astros bonus points due to only being a 2-year partnership with Campbell University... we cannot wait to see the permanent presentation next year in Fayetteville, NC!
By: Matthew Preslar
The champs are here! Beginning in the 2017 season, the Astros were awarded an exapansion team in the Carolina League. While the permanent home of this franchise will be in Fayetteville, NC, this city couldn’t have a worthy stadium built until 2019. Therefore, a temporary home was needed. The solution was nearby Campbell University’s Jim Perry Stadium.
As I researched this facility, I learned it was named after Campbell grad and 1970 A.L. Cy Young winner, Jim Perry. That’s a fun fact for any baseball fan. I also learned about the upgrades done to this facility to temporarily house an Advanced A ball franchise and how that benefits the Division I Camels baseball program. One benefit was expanded seating which includes a CLUB area along the third base side. The most notable improvement to the playing field is that it was changed to an ENTIRELY synthetic surface. The only traditional dirt on the diamond is the pitching mound. Synthetic fields are rare, especially in the South. More turf grass is used up north where weather conditions aren’t suitable for growing grass, especially early in the calendar year. This will make field maintenance much easier for years to come as the Astros leave the park back entirely in the hands of Campbell University.
The game was a very low key affair, nothing like an average game one could attend at this level in another city. However, we expected as such with the game being on a college campus after the students have left for summer. The all-turf playing field is different. The quiet, small-scale stadium is different. As described below, we decided to give bonus points to the Astros organization. The franchise is OWNED by the Houston Astros and they have signed a 30 YEAR lease agreement with the city of Fayetteville. This means they have made an extremely long term investment in the city as well as the state of North Carolina. Having this great franchise choose to make North Carolina home means a great deal in terms of economic development. For us, Fayetteville is actually a closer drive to home than Campbell University. We can’t wait to see the new stadium and the Astros presentation starting next year.
Special consideration: +2 points
With respect to the fact that this location is not a permanent stadium, we are going to give the Buies Creek Astros bonus points due to only being a 2-year partnership with Campbell University... we cannot wait to see the permanent presentation next year in Fayetteville, NC!
JIM PERRY STADIUM
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TICKET VALUE 8/10
CONCESSIONS 8/10
FAMILY FRIENDLINESS 4/5
ATMOSPHERE 5/10
CHARACTER 8/10
PARKING 4/5
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