Siebert Field
Encyclopedia
Siebert Field is the baseball stadium at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 where the Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are the college sports team for the University of Minnesota. The university fields both men's and women's teams in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, golf, ice hockey, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Men's-specific sports include baseball, football, and...

 college baseball
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...

 team currently plays portions of their seasons. (Some early season contests are normally held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

.) It is named in honor of Dick Siebert
Dick Siebert
Richard Walther Siebert was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career from 1932, 1936-1945. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and St...

, a former head coach who led the Gophers to three national titles. From 1971 to 1978 it was known as Bierman Field, in honor of Bernie Bierman
Bernie Bierman
Bernard W. "Bernie" Bierman was an American football player and coach. He coached from 1919 to 1950 except for a span during World War II when he served in the U.S. armed forces...

.

The ballfield is part of an athletic complex on a single large block that also has facilities for track-and-field, football, softball and indoor sports, and is adjacent to the other U of M sports venues as well as the campustown area called Dinkytown. The block containing Siebert Field is bounded by 15th Avenue SE and railroad tracks, to the northwest and north; 8th Street SE, to the northeast; 5th Street SE, to the southwest; and railroad tracks to the south and southeast.

The official street address of Siebert Field, according to the Gophers website, is 516 15th Avenue SE. The sign at the ballpark entrance reads 1606 8th Street SE. The ballfield itself is set back from 15th Avenue, with a football practice field in between. 8th Street borders the ballpark on its third base side.

Prior to 1971 the team played at Delta Field, which was beyond the left field fence of the Bierman/Siebert ballfield.http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1549842. The old field is now occupied by a cluster of softball diamonds. The track-and-field stadium beyond the right field corner of Siebert Field carries Bierman's name.

Siebert Field was built on a former Minneapolis neighborhood. The tops of the houses were razed, and the outfield is built on the foundations of old houses. It is located adjacent to the Northstar Apartment complex.

In 1994-1995, Siebert Field was home to an independent pro team, the Minneapolis Loons.

Numerous Minnesota State High School League baseball tournament games have been played at Siebert over the years.

Replacement facility

Due to the dilapidated condition of the grandstand, the University is in the planning stages of placing a new stadium on the current location, which will be funded privately and is expected to cost $7.5 million in the first stage. Current plans call for the construction of a new grandstand, improved concession and restroom facilities, a new FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...

 playing surface, and a new entrance on the south side of the stadium, providing improved access to the campus and local parking facilities.

All home games in 2010 were played at the Metrodome, with the exception of one game at Target Field
Target Field
Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...

. The 2011 season schedule also called for all home games to be played at the Metrodome. However, the collapse of the Metrodome's roof and the subsequent heavy damage to the stadium has forced the Gophers to move elsewhere. Games scheduled in March have been moved to other cities or canceled. Twelve home games against Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

opponents have been moved to Target Field, while three midweek non-conference games will be played at Siebert Field.

External links

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