Serauxmen Stadium
Nanaimo, BC
Review by Mike
Serauxmen Stadium is the home of the Nanaimo NightOwls of the West Coast League. Nanaimo is a port city on Vancouver Island about two hours north of Victoria and it is here that this pleasant little stadium opened in 1976. Mickey Mantle was on hand for the celebrations and even hit the first pitch to christen the ballpark.
I was given an extensive tour by Kent, whose history with the ballpark goes back to the very beginning, having been there during the planning and construction. He took me into the bowels to see the clubhouse, the electrical room, even the fryer where they cook the French fries for the poutine! Kent told me that when his time comes, he hopes he is at the ballpark.
The stadium itself is compact and primarily constructed of poured concrete. Even the roof is concrete, which seems to be a thing on Vancouver Island (see Royal Athletic Park). The main grandstand curves behind home plate and extends down the first base line. A small erector set grandstand serves the third base line bring total capacity to around 900.
The right field fence is rather cozy, at only 296 down the line and 332 in the power alley. To keep the home runs down, a high fence has been erected, with an even higher screen behind that to protect the athletic field beyond. The seating is backless buckets behind the plate and benches down the line.
It’s great to see such a nice well-maintained ballpark in such a far-flung outpost as Nanaimo, with strong community support and tirelessly watched over by devotees such as Kent. The town has a lovely waterfront park and try the famous Nanaimo Bar when you’re in town. My thanks to everyone in the NightOwls organization who helped organize my visit, Kent for his time and stories, and my wonderful wife for cheerfully agreeing to a 4-hour round trip during our vacation so I could visit a baseball stadium.
2025
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289
Here is my guide, Kent, along with a couple of World-Famous Nanaimo Bars!