Bridgeforth Stadium
Winchester, VA
Review by Gary
For American history buffs, Winchester, Virginia is chockful of sites that helped formed the United States, from the French & Indian War to the American Civil War, but that is subject matter for another website. Winchester is also a destination to see baseball, particularly at Bridgeforth Stadium in this historic northwestern Virginian town.
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Officially called Kevin Anderson Field at Bridgeforth Stadium, the playing surface is named for the current manager of the Shenandoah University Hornets of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Anderson is also a member of the Valley Baseball League (VBL) Hall of Fame, whose Winchester Royals also call Bridgeforth Stadium home during the summer collegiate league season. The Royals, named after the Bridgeforth family who owned the local Royal Crown cola franchise, have been in the VBL since 1979 and have played at this ballpark every year of their existence.
The ballpark, erected in 1976, is part of a larger facility that features a softball field, multipurpose field, and smaller baseball fields. Both the main baseball and softball fields were surfaced with FieldTurf in 2022 when Anderson field was named to honor the area’s legendary coach. That year, metal light standards replaced the luminaires once perched atop wooden poles, whose thirty-foot-tall sawed-off remnants can still be found around the playing field. The classic wood backstop may be original and runs from dugout to dugout while framing out the seating area very nicely.
Fifteen rows of metal bleachers surround the infield, allowing for crowds of 1,200+ to cheer on the teams dueling on the “battlefield” below. (Frequent lead changes may remind fans of the 70+ times the town of Winchester changed hands during the Civil War.) Seats behind homeplate have backs on them and there is not a bad view from any vantage point. Fans opting to watch the “conflict” from afar can bivouac on top of a hill beyond the outfield walls.
A modest two-story press box resembles more of an office building, with a splendid view of the field from the top floor. A concession stand, restroom and clubhouses are located on the lower level and are accessed by a nice, concrete concourse. Thanks to Nick Sborz, the Hornets assistant coach, for letting me peruse this grand facility during Shenandoah U’s season.
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2026
286
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