Kokernot Field
Encyclopedia
Kokernot Field is a baseball
stadium located in Alpine, Texas
. The field has been called "the Yankee Stadium of Texas" by Texas Monthly magazine. An estimated 6,000 attended a 1951 exhibition featuring Satchel Paige
's St. Louis Browns versus the Chicago White Sox. Future Major Leaguers Norm Cash
and Gaylord Perry
also played on Kokernot Field.
The stadium was constructed in 1947 by Big Bend rancher Herbert Lee Kokernot Jr. for his semi-professional baseball team. Red clay for the infield was hauled in by boxcar from Georgia. Native stone quarried from the Kokernot Ranch was used to construct the outfield wall and grandstand. The Kokernot Ranch "06" brand was incorporated into numerous decorations throughout the stadium along with intricate ironwork of baseballs complete with painted threads.
The stadium was built to seat 1,400 people. Lighting was installed in 1958. Ownership of the field was turned over to the Alpine Independent School District in 1968 after Sul Ross discontinued their baseball program and semi-pro play ceased in Alpine after the 1961 season. Sul Ross' baseball program was revived in 1983. The field is currently home to the Sul Ross State University Lobos and the Alpine Cowboys
of the Pecos League
through a lease arrangement.
The Big Bend Cowboys doubleheader on May 17, 2009 marked the first professional baseball played at Kokernot Field in 48 years.
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...
stadium located in Alpine, Texas
Alpine, Texas
Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,786 people at the 2000 census, and had increased to 5,905 by 2010.-History:...
. The field has been called "the Yankee Stadium of Texas" by Texas Monthly magazine. An estimated 6,000 attended a 1951 exhibition featuring Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime...
's St. Louis Browns versus the Chicago White Sox. Future Major Leaguers Norm Cash
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
and Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
also played on Kokernot Field.
The stadium was constructed in 1947 by Big Bend rancher Herbert Lee Kokernot Jr. for his semi-professional baseball team. Red clay for the infield was hauled in by boxcar from Georgia. Native stone quarried from the Kokernot Ranch was used to construct the outfield wall and grandstand. The Kokernot Ranch "06" brand was incorporated into numerous decorations throughout the stadium along with intricate ironwork of baseballs complete with painted threads.
The stadium was built to seat 1,400 people. Lighting was installed in 1958. Ownership of the field was turned over to the Alpine Independent School District in 1968 after Sul Ross discontinued their baseball program and semi-pro play ceased in Alpine after the 1961 season. Sul Ross' baseball program was revived in 1983. The field is currently home to the Sul Ross State University Lobos and the Alpine Cowboys
Alpine Cowboys
The Alpine Cowboys are a professional baseball team based in Alpine, Texas, in the Big Bend region of West Texas. The Cowboys are a franchise of the Pecos League, which is not affiliated with Major or Minor League Baseball...
of the Pecos League
Pecos League
The Pecos League is an independent professional baseball league Headquartered in Houston, Tx. which operates in cities in desert mountain regions throughout New Mexico, Southern Colorado and West Texas. Pecos Teams play in cities that do not have Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not...
through a lease arrangement.
The Big Bend Cowboys doubleheader on May 17, 2009 marked the first professional baseball played at Kokernot Field in 48 years.
See also
- Alpine CowboysAlpine CowboysThe Alpine Cowboys are a professional baseball team based in Alpine, Texas, in the Big Bend region of West Texas. The Cowboys are a franchise of the Pecos League, which is not affiliated with Major or Minor League Baseball...
- Alpine Cowboys Baseball