Tony Gwynn Stadium
Home of San Diego State Baseball
Tony Gwynn Stadium became the new home of the San Diego State baseball program during the 1997 season. The facility is already being hailed as one of the top college baseball stadiums in the country. Baseball America has ranked Tony Gwynn Stadium as the fifth-best collegiate facility in the nation and the second-best park in the western half of the nation.
Groundbreaking for this project took place on August 21, 1996. The $4 million facility has been made possible through the generosity of San Diego Padres owner John Moores and his wife, Becky, who donated the funds to make Coach Jim Dietz's dream of a state-of-the-art stadium at SDSU a reality.
The structure is named in honor of the former Aztec and current head coach. The playing field remains Charlie Smith Field in honor of the long-time former San Diego State head coach. It retains its former dimensions of 340 feet down the left field line, 340 feet down the right field line, and 412 to dead center field. Distance to the power alleys is 365 feet.
Additional area has been added between home plate and the backstop (now 45 feet), and the warning track in the outfield has been widened to 20 feet. The field itself is a natural turf (Tif Santa Ana grass), while the infield and warning track utilize crushed brick dust. New grass was installed in front of both dugouts in 2004, replacing the artificial turf in those areas.
The playing field is enclosed by a 10-foot high green wall made of a modern material designed to be resilient upon contact. The outfield wall features advertising signage as well as the names and numbers of past players who have been honored for their accomplishments as members of the SDSU program.
Stadium lighting consists of six poles using 2000-watt fixtures, making the facility one of the most well-lit fields in college and professional baseball.
The stadium's electronic scoreboard, installed prior to the start of the 2003 season, is located behind the right centerfield fence and features a complete line score as well as video playback capability.
Tony Gwynn during the stadium
dedication on May 3, 1997
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Seating capacity of the stadium is 3,000, and that number could reach as high as 4,000 in the future. Of the 2,200 permanent seats installed during the initial phase of construction, 800 are armchair-style around the stadium at the field level. With the addition of new seating in May 2005, that number has increased to over 1,800, as more than 1,000 chair back seats were installed in the plaza level from first to third base. The remaining seats are comprised of bleacher benches down both base lines. Additional bleachers seating are available behind the right field fence.
Among the amenities contained within the
stadium itself are the following:
Two concession stands and two sets of restrooms located behind the seating area on the plaza level. There is also a novelty/souvenir shop located on the outer concourse, featuring SDSU merchandise.
A coaches dressing room and adjacent players' meeting room located at the east end of the first base stands to be used for team functions as well as a lounge for SDSU athletes
The Stephen and Mary Birch Baseball Museum located at the north end of the third base stand. The museum features numerous items relating to the history of baseball at San Diego State.
Home and visiting team locker rooms with shower facilities. There is also an umpires dressing room for officials to use before and after games.
A training room with a Jacuzzi and dry sauna.
An equipment room with storage space for uniforms, baseballs, bats and other items.
A modern press box with booths for radio and television. A state-of-the-art public address system is operated from the press box as well as the stadium scoreboard. A hydraulic elevator is available to take media and VIPs from ground level to the press box.
Four sky boxes adjacent to the press box for visiting dignitaries and groups to view games.
There is an alumni lounge near the elevator on the ground floor that serves as reception area and hosts various functions. The room has been provided through the generosity of former Aztec pitcher Bud Black and his wife, Nan, who oversaw much of the work on the project herself.
Covered sunken team dugouts with tunnels adjacent to each that lead to the team locker rooms.
Two large batting/pitching cages located down the left and right field lines. Each cage has space for two indoor batting practice areas or may be used as a bull pen with two mounds during games. An auxiliary batting cage/storage building has been constructed down the right field. All of these cages are fully lit for night use. In addition, a new outdoor bullpen was installed down the left field line just prior to the 2004 season.
The Arch Krejci Barbecue/Picnic Area is available between the end of the permanent stands and the batting cage buildings down right field line. Named for an individual who has spent countless volunteer hours assisting the SDSU baseball program, this area is available for special events and group outings.
Ticket booths are located behind the stadium along the first base side as well as down the third base side to serve fans' needs at all games.
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Top 10 Crowds at TGS
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Att.
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Score
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Date
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2,857
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Texas 9, San Diego State 3
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Feb. 4, 2005
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2,353
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Texas 13, San Diego State 5
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Feb. 5, 2005
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1,788
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Utah 2, San Diego State 1
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April 27, 2002
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1,549
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San Diego State 6, Utah 5
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April 28, 2002
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1,509
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San Diego 8, San Diego State 4
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April 15, 2003
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1,507
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San Diego State 5, UC Riverside
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Feb. 5, 2002
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1,491
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San Diego State 7, Fresno State 4
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May 15, 1997
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1,446
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San Diego State 5, New Mexico
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May 3, 1997
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1,383
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CSU Fullerton 18, San Diego State 8
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Mar. 1, 2005
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1,378
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San Diego State 9, San Jose State 4
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May 14, 1997
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