Ernie Shore Field
Encyclopedia
Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park is a collegiate
and former minor-league baseball
park in Winston-Salem
, North Carolina
, USA
. The full-time home of the Wake Forest University
baseball team, starting in 2009, it was also previously home of the Winston-Salem entry in the Carolina League
(currently the Winston-Salem Dash), a role it played since the park opened in 1956.
The ballpark is located at 401 Deacon Boulevard, directly east of BB&T Field
, home of the Wake Forest University
"Demon Deacons" football team. It is bounded by Deacon Boulevard to the south (first base), Shorefair Drive to the east (right field), and BB&T Field to the west (third base). West 32nd Street lies to the north (left field) behind a group of buildings and a parking lot.
Formerly known as Ernie Shore Field, the park was named for major league pitcher and North Carolina
native Ernie Shore
, who was a teammate of fellow pitcher Babe Ruth
when they played for the Boston Red Sox
during the 1910s. After Shore retired as a ballplayer, he served as Forsyth County Sheriff and baseball guru for many years. He helped spearhead the drive for a new ballpark, after the decades-old South Side Park had burned. The effort was successful, and the "Twins", as they were then called, had a new home. Since then, the team has gone through various nicknames and is currently called the "Dash".
The park was also the home field of the Demon Deacons baseball
team until they opened Gene Hooks Stadium
on campus in 1981. Because Hooks Stadium lacked lights, some early-season and necessary night games continued to be played at Ernie Shore Field. Like their now-demolished on-campus ballpark, the renamed Ernie Shore Field honors former Wake Forest athletic director Gene Hooks.
The baseball park was used for some key scenes in the 1990 movie Mr. Destiny
starring James Belushi
and Linda Hamilton
. In that movie, Belushi's character travels back in time to "try again" in a life-altering high school ball game.
With the resurgence of minor league baseball during the 1980s and 1990s, the stadium underwent many renovations to modernize the facility.
The transfer of the stadium to Wake Forest University
began in December 2006, when tentative agreements were put into place to sell the field to the University after a new stadium
was constructed in downtown Winston-Salem for the Dash. http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:6KrbfmCLtDkJ:www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite%3Fpagename%3DWSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle%26c%3DMGArticle%26cid%3D1149192077744%26path%3D%26s. The sale was completed prior to the 2009 baseball season. The new ballpark's construction experienced various delays. The Dash had hoped to begin the 2009 season at the downtown park, but pushed the date back to mid-season. Wake Forest University accommodated the Dash for as much of the 2009 season as necessary. http://www.wxii12.com/news/19440907/detail.html On June 2, the club announced the opening of the new ballpark for the 2010 season.http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090602&content_id=5102340&vkey=pr_t580&fext=.jsp&sid=t580, allowing Wake Forest complete control of Wake Forest Baseball Park.
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...
and former minor-league baseball
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...
park in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The full-time home of the Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
baseball team, starting in 2009, it was also previously home of the Winston-Salem entry in the Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
(currently the Winston-Salem Dash), a role it played since the park opened in 1956.
The ballpark is located at 401 Deacon Boulevard, directly east of BB&T Field
BB&T Field
This article is about the football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. For the baseball stadium also in Winston-Salem, see BB&T Ballpark. For the baseball stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, see BB&T Coastal Field....
, home of the Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
"Demon Deacons" football team. It is bounded by Deacon Boulevard to the south (first base), Shorefair Drive to the east (right field), and BB&T Field to the west (third base). West 32nd Street lies to the north (left field) behind a group of buildings and a parking lot.
Formerly known as Ernie Shore Field, the park was named for major league pitcher and 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...
native Ernie Shore
Ernie Shore
Ernest Grady Shore was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox during some of their best years in the 1910s....
, who was a teammate of fellow pitcher Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
when they played for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
during the 1910s. After Shore retired as a ballplayer, he served as Forsyth County Sheriff and baseball guru for many years. He helped spearhead the drive for a new ballpark, after the decades-old South Side Park had burned. The effort was successful, and the "Twins", as they were then called, had a new home. Since then, the team has gone through various nicknames and is currently called the "Dash".
The park was also the home field of the Demon Deacons baseball
Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team is the intercollegiate baseball team of Wake Forest University. The program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference...
team until they opened Gene Hooks Stadium
Gene Hooks Stadium
Gene Hooks Stadium was a baseball stadium in Winston-Salem, NC. It was the primary home field of the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons college baseball teams from 1981 through 2008....
on campus in 1981. Because Hooks Stadium lacked lights, some early-season and necessary night games continued to be played at Ernie Shore Field. Like their now-demolished on-campus ballpark, the renamed Ernie Shore Field honors former Wake Forest athletic director Gene Hooks.
The baseball park was used for some key scenes in the 1990 movie Mr. Destiny
Mr. Destiny
Mr. Destiny is a 1990 comedy film starring James Belushi. Other actors in this film included Linda Hamilton, Jon Lovitz, Michael Caine, Courteney Cox, and Rene Russo.-Plot:...
starring James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
and Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
. In that movie, Belushi's character travels back in time to "try again" in a life-altering high school ball game.
With the resurgence of minor league baseball during the 1980s and 1990s, the stadium underwent many renovations to modernize the facility.
The transfer of the stadium to Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
began in December 2006, when tentative agreements were put into place to sell the field to the University after a new stadium
New Winston-Salem Ballpark
BB&T Ballpark is a ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that replaced Ernie Shore Field. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Winston-Salem Dash minor league baseball team....
was constructed in downtown Winston-Salem for the Dash. http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:6KrbfmCLtDkJ:www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite%3Fpagename%3DWSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle%26c%3DMGArticle%26cid%3D1149192077744%26path%3D%26s. The sale was completed prior to the 2009 baseball season. The new ballpark's construction experienced various delays. The Dash had hoped to begin the 2009 season at the downtown park, but pushed the date back to mid-season. Wake Forest University accommodated the Dash for as much of the 2009 season as necessary. http://www.wxii12.com/news/19440907/detail.html On June 2, the club announced the opening of the new ballpark for the 2010 season.http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090602&content_id=5102340&vkey=pr_t580&fext=.jsp&sid=t580, allowing Wake Forest complete control of Wake Forest Baseball Park.