State Baseball Tournament Held at Premier Stadiums
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Friday, June 10, 2011 11:07 AM
Wichita Falls Rider first baseman Ben Smith attempts to tag Jesse Baker from Brenham High School in the 4A semifinal game at the UIL State Baseball Tournament at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The Rider Raiders won the game 3-1. Last year at the State Tournament, the Brenham Cubs defeated the Raiders in the semifinal game and went on to win the 2010 4A Championship.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
In Texas, baseball is played on many types of surfaces. Whether it’s grass, turf or dirt, as long as there is a diamond on the field there will be a game. At the UIL Baseball State Tournament, teams have the opportunity to play in two of the premier stadiums in the state while they compete for the right to be called champion.
One of the sites for the 2011 baseball state championships is UFCU Disch-Falk Field on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The field, named after two legendary University of Texas coaches Billy Disch and Bibb Falk, has been host to the UIL Baseball State Tournament since it’s opening in 1975. Only once in 36 years has the field not been host to a state final – in 2007 due to renovation projects on the stadium.
“Disch-Falk is one of the top venues in the country because you have one of the top collegiate teams in the country playing there,” said Darryl Beasley, UIL Assistant Athletic Director and Baseball Tournament Director. “The renovations have made the park one of the best in the country.“
Renovations of the stadium were completed in 2009, adding many amenities for fans and players alike. For the fans, seats were added in the lower bowl of the stadium bringing fans closer to the game. For the players, the AstroTurf field surface was replaced with a synthetic grass surface called FieldTurf allowing for more consistent fielding on balls hit on the ground.
Before finding a home at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the state tournament was hosted at another field also called Disch. For the first 19 years of the UIL Baseball State Tournament, Disch Field served as host to the top high school teams in Texas vying for a state championship. The field, which was closed in 1967, was located next to what is now the Palmer Events Center in Austin. Austin’s Nelson Field became host venue from 1968-1974.
In 1979, the state baseball tournament expanded to include other sites in addition to Disch-Falk Field. Nelson Field was again used as a state tournament site, along with Burger Center in Austin until 2000 when the Dell Diamond officially opened its doors in Round Rock.
Dell Diamond serves as the official home of the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Texas Rangers, but many high school state champions have been crowned on its field in its 11-year history.
“Dell Diamond has always been one of the top minor league fields in the country,” Beasley said. “The atmosphere that brings fans close to the field really sets it apart.”
Fans at the Dell Diamond are sometimes closer to the action than some of the players on the field. Seating behind home plate is actually closer to the batter than the pitcher on the mound, and some fan seating along the baselines is fewer than 50 feet from fair territory.
The experience at the Dell Diamond has made it one of the premier baseball venues around the country. In 2003 Baseball America named it the “Best Double-A Ballpark in the Country” – the Express was a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Houston Astros at the time. It was also featured in Baseball America’s 2005 “Great Parks Calendar” and ESPN’s “Great Baseball Destinations” map.
As far as baseball destinations go in Texas, the UIL Baseball State Tournament is hosted by two of the best in UFCU Disch-Falk Field and the Dell Diamond. They truly stand out as two of the premier locations for baseball in the state.