McSwain Field
Coolidge, AZ
Review by Mike
Somewhere out in the vast empty desert between Phoenix and Tucson is a small town with a small college and a really very nice baseball stadium. McSwain Field has been the home of the Central Arizona College Vaqueros since 1970, but the current stadium opened in 2020. The ballpark is right on the edge of the campus and looks out over the vast Sonoran Desert.
The grandstand is made entirely of metal, which often means a generic, soulless look, but they have given it character by way of green seats and yellow accents on the steps and across the top of the press box. Speaking of which, a wide press box stretches across the back of the top row behind home plate, surprisingly large for a junior college.
The entire seating area is covered by a high roof, with lots of metal pillars to block the view and give the place an old-timey feel despite its recent vintage. I saw no evidence of bathroom or concessions facilities. Perhaps food trucks or snack tables provide tasty treats on game day and portable latrines may be brought in. There are a couple of buildings across the street that might serve these needs.
The home team dugout has an additional roof extension to protect the players from the sun, which is a necessity as McSwain Field has no lights, assuring that every game is played beneath the desert sun. The visiting team dugout has no such amenity. I hope they bring those little spray bottles with attached whirligigs.
This has to be the nicest ballpark I have seen for this level of baseball, from the stately roof to the colorful accents around the grandstand and the dugouts to the colorful flowering shrubbery alongside the main stand. Four National Championship banners adorn the fence beneath the scoreboard, telling of good times at this remote outpost in a really nice place to play.
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2025
279
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