Champion Car Wash Field
Roseburg, OR
Review by Mike
Champion Car Wash Field in Roseburg, Oregon was built in 1958 and it has to be one of the nicest ballparks I’ve ever seen to never host professional or top level college baseball. It is the current home of the Umpqua Community College RiverHawks of the Northwest Athletic Conference, but for most of its existence this has been a community ballpark, hosting major American Legion Tournament play.
And here’s another thing. In my many decades or traveling North American and visiting hundreds of ballparks, I had never seen a stadium with its main grandstand built on top of a mound of concrete until I went to Valley Strong Ballpark in Visalia, California. That was in May of 2024. Just four months later, I saw my second. The impressive main stand in Roseburg is, indeed, set into a big pile of concrete. Was steel in short supply in the middle of the 20th century? In both cases, it is both unique and cool.
The aforementioned main grandstand is quite large, with fixed back seats under a large and glorious roof, with bench seating along both baselines. Basic bleacher seating is available down either line on both sides of the main stand, with the dugouts set into the base of each. The seating and the edge of the roof are bright and colorful, with a burnt orange and yellow motif, creating a festive air.
A concessions building is found behind the stands on the 1st base side and a little farther down is a clubhouse with indoor batting cages. Tom, the very nice fellow who took time out of his day to let me in for a look around, also showed us the clubhouse, which is well appointed. The playing surface is FieldTurf, there is a good-looking scoreboard and a pleasant view of the surrounding hills beyond the outfield fence.
This really is a fine facility tucked alongside the South Umpqua River in southern Oregon, beautifully maintained by the community as it approaches its 70th birthday. I would love to see a collegiate summer West Coast League team set up shop here, but maybe the locals are happy with some regular season college ball and being a top destination for American Legion tournaments. In any case, they clearly appreciate the hidden gem that they have.
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2024
270
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