It's spring break which means a family trip and we are back in Kansas, visiting friends and doing some small day trips. One of those took us to Wamego, home of the Oz Museum, and then Manhattan, home of Kansas State University. Not coincidentally, Wildcat baseball had a midweek game against Omaha and after leaving my wife and daughter at a movie theater, I made my way across town to Tointon Family Stadium.
Parking is free in the huge lot just north of the stadium, with each space numbered so you won't have trouble finding your car after the game. Tickets were $10 for general admission, and with 2,199 on hand in a ballpark with a capacity of 2,331, empty seats should have been hard to find. But a good number of season-ticket holders did not bother for this one, so I had no trouble finding a good spot.
The ballpark opened in 1961 as KSU Baseball Stadium and only hosted day games until 1985, when lights were installed. The field was named in honour of coach Frank Myers, who was the coach at the time. It underwent a significant renovation in 2002 that saw a donation from Bob and Betty Tointon leading to the official name becoming Frank Myers Field at Tointon Family Stadium.
There's an interesting display inside an alcove by the team office, which honours a couple of pioneers: Earl Woods was the first African-American player at K-State and the Big 7; though he is more famous for being the father of Tiger Woods; Dave Baker was the first African-American head coach in Big 8 conference history.
Inside the team office is a stuffed wildcat along with an interesting slogan that combines the visiting team with Manhattan. Of course, this is in reference to Omaha being the site of the College World Series, but ironically the Wildcats have yet to make it to there, losing to Oregon State in their only Super Regional appearance in 2013.
This and other accomplishments are noted with banners on the right field fence, next to the scoreboard. I was a bit surprised to see advertising on the fence as I thought that NCAA ballparks were supposed to be ad-free, but perhaps the rules have changed with the advent of NIL, or maybe there was no such requirement after all.
The setting sun was a problem for those sitting down the first base line, where the GA seats are located. The picture below was taken just after the sun went below the stadium structure.
Overall, Tointon Family Stadium is a nice little ballpark that is worth a visit if you are driving across Kansas. Easy to get to and with a good fan base, just make sure to sit along third base if you get GA seats.
The Game
With a 6 p.m. start time, the sun was shining into the pitchers face for the first few innings. However, it was the umpire who seemed most affected, as his ridiculously tight strike zone led to 18 walks total. Omaha's Matt Goetzmann led off the game with a homer and the Mavericks added an unearned run, but K-State scored a pair in the bottom half on three walks, three steals and a passed ball. After Omaha plated another in the top of the second, I expected a long game, but things settled down except for the Wildcat third, where they notched four runs on four walks, three hits, and a hit batsmen. A Goetzmann triple in the 6th got a run back for Omaha, but that was all, as K-State closer Tyson Neighbors pitched the ninth for his third save. It was an ugly affair but at least it took only 2:48.
Notes
This was my 40th NCAA ballpark and 361st overall.
I had hoped to see one of the Blue Jays games at Kansas City, but circumstances and weather prevented that. Not that it mattered as they lost 3 of 4 to fall to 13-13 on the season.
Best,
Sean
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