Holman Stadium
Nashua, NH
Review by Mike
Holman Stadium is the home of the Nashua Silver Knights of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. This historic ballpark, built in 1937, has had an off and on relationship with minor league baseball, with few teams being able to stick for long. The best run of pro ball came in the form of the Nashua Pride of the Atlantic, then Can-Am, Leagues. This is when I first heard of it, being a Bluefish fan.
The ballpark seems to have finally found a permanent tenant, though, in the collegiate summer league Silver Knights. Despite the nomadic nature of its pro tenants, Holman's place in history is secure as the home of the first integrated professional baseball team in the United States when Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella played for the 1946 Nashua Dodgers. Jackie Robinson was playing for the Dodgers Montreal affiliate. A nice plaque commemorates this important milestone in American history.
The ballpark itself is very nice, with a decade-long upgrade project yielding outstanding results. The original seating bowl is intact and looking good. It's a simple structure, but with new seats, spotlessly pointed brickwork and a nice steep pitch, it is certainly one of the finer ballparks in the collegiate summer leagues. The press and luxury boxes are more recent additions, stylishly grafted onto the original structure. It provides the necessary modernization without corrupting the historic grandstand.
A path leads out beyond the left-field fence for some nice standing room and picnic areas and it is here that you will find a short section of outfield fence in the original brick. The fence is only 307 feet from home plate and just a few feet tall, so I imagine that quite a few home runs have been taken away at this spot. The retired numbers of Newcombe, Campanella and Robinson adorn this historic stretch of home run fence.
I'm impressed that Nashua never gave up on its classic ballpark, even without a stable professional tenant. They have maintained and upgraded their old gem, making it a viable 21st century venue while honoring its notable early 20th century heritage. I hope to catch a game there someday.
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2015
119
It made me very happy to see that Holman Stadium was included on the page. After playing many high school and legion baseball games there over the years, I got the opportunity to work at the stadium last summer for the Nashua Silver Knights. Living nearby in Southern New Hampshire, I knew the team offered a special niche of local baseball, including many kids who grew up playing at that stadium, but during my time with the team, I learned just how much that team and stadium matters to the Nashua community. The people of Nashua love that team so much, and the affection is felt around the stadium during each game by the kids showing up to the field after Little League practice across the street, the season ticket holders with their custom merchandise, and especially the fans who make Tuesday and Thursday half-off beer nights their Super Bowl. I'm sure these are unique experiences for a college summer ball team, but it makes Holman Stadium feel a little more like home regardless. My favorite memory from my internship was undoubtedly the throwback night the team held to pay tribute to the former minor league tenants, the Nashua Pride. With multiple former big leaguers back at the stadium for a reunion, joined by the former manager, owner, PA announcer, and even mascot (which, if you want a great watch and some more Holman history, check out this doc from Barstool here), the stadium filled to the brim to pay homage to their former team, bringing it a life I hadn't seen for the rest of the team's games. All this is to say, the 88 seasons of baseball this stadium exemplifies the beautiful marriage of baseball and community in America.
- Ryan O'Connor, New Hampshire